Destiny
by Flamewhisker
Summary: The corporation known as Gamemakers has taken over the United States government. They have instituted The Hunger Games, and Amber and Sage have been selected to go into the Games. They will make friends, and they will make enemies, but one betrayal will shock them both. Will they both make it out alive? Or is it their destiny to be separated for good…
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is my first time taking a whack at a Hunger Games fanfiction and I really hope you like it!**

**I would like to thank Ryuku Ride for helping me get this thing on here and answering all of my questions, so THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**Disclaimer: I sadly do not own The Hunger Games. I do own the characters I have created and my plot though!**

* * *

(Amber's P.O.V)

I awoke to my extremely annoying alarm clock and got ready for school. Thank God it's Friday, I feel like my head's about to explode! But then again, what other normal fifteen year old's isn't? Even though school's out in _literally_ two weeks, my teachers just don't get that the amount of homework is supposed to_ decrease_, not _increase_.

"Amber, I'm heading off to work!' I heard my father Lucas Jackson say. I came down the stairs to hug him like I always do.

"Bye Dad." I said, pulling away from him. He pulled his black baseball cap over his dark brown hair, and opened our front door.

"I'll see you tonight, love you."

"Love you too." I replied. He gave a wave and closed the door gently behind him.

I finished fixing my dark brown hair, and then fed our dogs Peeta and Katniss. Katniss is a dark brown like Katniss' hair, and Peeta is a light yellow sort of like Peeta's hair, hence their names.

Here's a freaky fact about me: Hunger Games is practically my life! I've read all the books over a million times (not literally, but you get the idea.), I have a Mockingjay pin, I have four t-shirts, my room is loaded with posters of Peeta, I have just about every other piece of Hunger Games merchandise, and I actually have a real bow! I practice archery outside in my backyard about every day, and I hit the center just about every time now. I'm quite proud actually; it took years to get to be as good as I am. The Hunger Games was my reason for getting the bow. Plus I mean c'mon, they're freaking _awesome_!

I finished putting away all of my school supplies in my backpack and started riding my bike to school like I did every day.

…

After a very uneventful day at school, I began riding my bike home. School isn't very far away from home actually. I just cut through a field and boom. There it is. Nobody cares that I ride through the field because there's nobody around to notice!

While I was riding, something suddenly rammed into the side of my bike, making me tumble off of it. Mind racing, my first thought was an animal. But when I saw the burly man in the ski mask, I got freaked out. His big hands clamped around my windpipe. He left me room to breathe, but immobilized me.

"What… the… hell!" I choked out while thrashing about. He pinned me to the ground. Ski mask dude's dark eyes glittered with amusement.

"Didn't see me coming did you?" He said in a menacing voice. I began thrashing more. No! This can't be happening, it can't! I won't die this way! Whatever the guy had in plan. Whether to kidnap me, rape me, or simply kill me, that all was going to be tossed out the window.

I searched around frantically for something to help myself. Screaming would be useless. Wait! On my bike was my pocketknife! I had it hidden just for situations like this! It was near me, I could reach it if I tried.

"Why are you doing this?" I managed to croak. Yes, I know. All cheesy movies with girls getting kidnapped or something say that. But right now, it was the only thing I could come up with to stall him.

"Let's just say… I was sent by someone." I held his dark gaze while inching my hand over slowly towards the knife. I whipped out the knife and made a flicking movement of my wrist downwards. Before the dude knew what hit him, the knife was cutting deep through his hand.

The grip on my neck ceased, and I was up in a flash. I dashed behind him, and pressed the razor sharp knife to his throat. He stiffened. Good. I had turned the tables. Now, a normal teen would've turned tail and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. That's not me. I'm more of an offensive person than a defensive one. I wanted to know why this lunatic went after _me_. Maybe it was just random, but if he _has_ been stalking me or something, I wanna know.

"Who sent you, and why?" I hissed.

"You wouldn't know him." Ski mask dude said vaguely, obviously just trying to dodge my questions.

"Tell me the name, or this knife goes through your jugular." It was going to regardless, but you know, I didn't wanna be standing here all afternoon trying to get answers out of this dummy.

"You wouldn't kill me."

"I can, and I will. I'm not afraid to kill you." That was one hundred percent true. Heck I'd probably be doing the world a favor! One less pedophile in the world!

"I know you aren't Amber, that's exactly one of the reasons why you've been nominated for the Hunger Games." It was a new man's voice, and it came from behind me. I turned my head, wide-eyed. The new man had nothing covering his face, so I could see it clearly. He had slicked back jet black hair, and bright green eyes. He was in his late twenties maybe early thirties, and had sharp features that made him look rather intimidating if you ask me. The strange thing was he was wearing a_ suit_!

I tightened my grip on my knife.

But wait what had he said? Had I heard him right? I thought I heard Hunger Games, but maybe all the adrenaline was messing with my head.

"And just who the hell are _you_?" The man chuckled.

"My name is Darren Millstone, the head Gamemaker of what is going to be the first annual Hunger Games." He replied formally. I gaped at him. What the hell? And wait how the hell does he know my name?

"You stalking me or something?" I spat at him.

"I know your name because you were one of the ones narrowed down to be considered for the Games. Congratulations, you've been selected." I just glared at him and thrust my head at the ski mask dude.

"You know this guy?" Darren chuckled again.

"Of course. He was the one I assigned to pretend to kidnap you. This whole thing is a set up. We needed to see what you could do in situations like these, and you passed with flying colors. Your survival instincts are very strong, that will help you in the games. This was just one last test to make sure we picked the right person, and now I know we did." I decided to play along, who knows maybe I can get out of this.

"So… about how many others were considered for this?"

"Every girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen in Kansas. It's the same in every state." Whoa whoa whoa, every state? Wow, this dude was screwy alright!

I laughed. Yes, I laughed when I'm cornered by one psycho sky mask guy and a whacko businessman who may or may not kill me. I'm clearly not your average fifteen year old.

"Okay, so how on earth would that even be possible? Anything _close_ to the Hunger Games would be illegal obviously."

"We've taken over the US government. They've passed a law because of us that makes the Hunger Games legal." Now he's kinda getting on my nerves. I rolled my eyes.

"Uh huh, yeah right."

"I'm being serious."

"So… if like I was picked out of the bazillion girls in Kansas, why?" Darren smirked.

"You'll give the public the best show."

"Uh huh. And people would actually watch that in real life _because_?"

"Because we'll force them too. Plans are already arranged, don't worry. You'll be watched around the US."

"Uh huh. Right." I rolled my eyes and pressed the knife closer to the man's throat.

"You know he could easily overpower you." Darren observed, looking at the other guy.

"If he makes a sudden move his throat sprays blood. Yeah, he'll overpower me."

"Why don't you show her then Rob?" So that was ski mask dude's name… isn't that nice.

"Yeah yeah, now why don't y-" Ski dude suddenly elbowed me in the gut, hard. He knocked the knife out of my hand, while shoving me to the ground. I gasped as the air was knocked out of me and landed with a thud. Rob got my knife and pressed it to my throat. My eyes widened in fear. He was going to kill me.

I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. My heart was going a million miles a minute, and my brain was on hyper drive trying to figure a way out of this situation. Rob and Darren laughed.

"Let her up Rob, she gets the message." Darren said. Rob stepped back, still chuckling, and closed up the knife. He put it in his pocket. Okay, now I was really scared.

"W-what do you want?" My voice was weak, and fearful. Nothing like its usual self.

"From you? Nothing except a good show. Now, come with us."

"No! _Hell_ no!" I screeched. Darren looked at Rob who pulled something out of his pocket. It was silver handcuffs. Where did these guys get _handcuffs_?

I took off sprinting; not bothering to grab my bike, there wasn't any time. Rob easily kept up with me, which was scary because I was the fastest runner in my school.

"Please don't make me use these Amber." He said, shooting me a pleading look. I only sped up. Unfortunately, he got a hold of my hoodie and slowed me down long enough to force me into the handcuffs. I struggled fiercely, but he was just too strong. I was no match for him.

"Let me go!" I yelled.

"Help!" Yelling for help was a long shot, and probably wouldn't be effective.

Rob started dragging me back to Darren. With my hands handcuffed behind my back, I had to comply.

So this is how it would end. Me being raped and killed by these two psychos. I thought about just downright giving up. I couldn't fight back, and there was nothing to do except pray that they would possibly spare my life.

Rob led the way through the field with Darren placing a strong hand over my mouth so that I couldn't scream my head off.

"W-what are you gonna do to me?" I mumbled.

"Don't worry Amber; we'll be at the Capital soon. There you'll prepare for the games until it's time to go into the arena, just like in the books." I rolled my eyes. But what scared me was the fact that these guys seemed sober, and they looked serious. _Could_ they be serious? No, they couldn't. It just wasn't possible.

I saw a black Chevy Malibu parked on the side of the road. _No way am I getting in that car_! _Screw giving up_! I started thrashing about a ton, clipping Darren in the gut with a hard kick, then turning around and kicking Rob as well. I squirmed out of their grasp, and made a break for it. Yes! I did it!

Suddenly I was yanked back; hard. I looked behind me. Apparently the handcuffs had a dog leash clipped to them… wonderful… wait when the hell did the leash get there? Rob was holding the other end of the leash with a firm grip.

"Seriously? A dog leash?" Since my hands were behind my back I couldn't unclip the leash and get away… Rob was shaking his head in disappointment.

"Don't try to run from your fate Amber." God! This guy was so creepy!

"If you think the Hunger Games is real, you _really_ must be off your rocker." Darren smiled.

"If you don't believe me, watch the president announce it tonight. It'll be on TV. We're making the public watch that as well as the Games."

"Just how do you plan on making them watch it?"

"We'll make sure every household has a TV, set it to the channel we'll be monopolizing, then tie and handcuff everyone to a chair or couch and force them to watch it." Man… this dude needs to go to the whacky shack alright. Yeah like he's going to force all of the like, bazillion people in America watch an actual Hunger Games… I shook my head in disbelief.

"Yeah… _that'll_ work." Rob tugged hard on the leash and I stumbled.

"Get back over here; we need to get you to the Capital."

"And just where _is_ this Capital?"

"Underground, you'll see it. The arena though will be above ground in a special place. We've been working for years to develop everything."

"Uh, how do you breathe down there?"

"By vents we've put up. Don't worry. We've even made a fake sky. It actually looks pretty real. You'd never know you're underground. The digging was the hard part, but now that that's done, everything's fine. There's no need to be claustrophobic, everything is just as big as it is above ground. It's just that the sky is actually a ceiling."

"So, you've made a giant box underground?"

"It stretches for miles Amber. Where do you think our corporation lives?"

"Uh, I dunno, maybe _above_ ground?" I rolled my eyes. Him and his corporation of imaginary friends. Yeah this dude needs to be checked into a mental hospital ASAP. Rob yanked on the leash again. This time, I obeyed and went over to them; maybe I could still trick them somehow… maybe…

I followed them to the car but that's when I stopped moving and started lashing out at them. Unfortunately for me, absolutely zero cars ever used this road, so nobody could come help me.

"Please just let me go!" I pleaded. Begging was always a last resort for me, I _hated_ it.

"Nope, sorry. There's the parade, the interviews, and the training to prepare you for the games themselves. You can't miss out on any of it."

"Okay. Seriously, cut the crap. What do you _really_ plan to do with me?"

"You beat out every other girl for your spot in the games. You should be proud. It'll be just like the books; only the arena will be different of course."

"No, really." I insisted.

"You'll see the president on tonight. Just get in the car."

"Absolutely not." I fought harder against the handcuffs.

"Rob." Darren said. Rob nodded and quickly immobilized me. I felt so vulnerable, I couldn't even tell you. I was trapped.

"Don't fight; you'll just wear yourself out. We need you fresh for your first time in the Capital." They're still going on with this crap? Please. I shook my head vigorously.

"I'll force you into the car if I have to, you don't have a choice." I said nothing.

"Alright then." Rob swept me off my feet and practically flung me in through the Malibu's open back door. He shut the door quickly before I could even begin to recover from the surprise of it. I tried to open the door even though I was handcuffed. Unfortunately these psychos were smart. The door had a child lock on it, so even if the door was unlocked you still couldn't open it until someone got out of the car and opened it from the outside. Great, just great. Darren got in the driver's seat and Rob got in the passenger's seat. Darren started up the engine, and started going east.

"So, how long until we get to the 'Capital'?" I asked.

"About fifteen minutes." Darren replied.

"How do we get underground?"

"An elevator."

"You seriously have a real working elevator down there?"

"Of course. We also have phone lines and internet access." I rolled my eyes. Of course they do. What good would any underground society be if it didn't have Wi-Fi?

"What's the name of your corporation?"

"Gamemakers." Gee... _that's_ original.

"And uh, how many of you are there?"

"Oh… about three hundred thousand." Dang… if this whole thing was real it'd be pretty impressive.

"And how did you get all of these members?"

"Well we have some of the US army on our side."

"And how'd you get the army on your side?"

"I made the president make it an order."

"Can't they just desert you?"

"No, any and all deserters will be executed."

"Ah. So… you like kidnapped hundreds of people?"

"Exactly. It was no easy task."

"Well obviously it wasn't, that's a ton of people!"

"Do you believe me now?"

"Nope. Not one bit." He sighed.

"You will once we get to the Capital." I rolled my eyes again.

"How is there light underground?"

"We've created what is like an artificial sun. Same amount of light, just it's not real."

"Really? How?"

"It took three years to develop. I have no idea how we made it; I'm the head Gamemakers, not the sun designer." Well jeez, for the head of a company he doesn't exactly sound all big and smart now does he…

"Oh." I replied plainly.

"So… if the games are real, what's the arena going to look like? Are there going to be mutts?"

"I can't tell you a thing, it's confidential." Oh of course it is.

"Fine, but what about mentors and stylists?"

"We've also taken some of the top stylists and martial arts teachers from around the country along with some Olympians." Of _course_ they have… this guy is seriously mentally unstable…

"So, how are the stylists and mentors decided?"

"At random. We spin a wheel and whatever names your state lands on will be yours forever. Well, until your state gets a victor that is. Then the mentor changes obviously, but the stylist remains yours until he or she dies. Then we assign you a new one."

"Oh, so this isn't just going to be a onetime thing then."

"No, The Hunger Games will go on for centuries."

"Can you just tell me what you _really_ plan to do with me instead of feeding me all this crap?"

"I've told you nothing but the truth." I sighed, this wasn't going anywhere. Just what the heck _was_ going to happen to me?!

* * *

**So how did you like it? What did you think of it? I would love some feedback so please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Amber and Sage are the two main characters of Destiny, so the point of view will switch each chapter. So chapter three will be Amber's point of view, then chapter four will be Sage's, and so forth until the end. Enjoy and please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games, I only own the charaters i have thought up and my plot.**

* * *

(Sage's P.O.V)

I sat rigid in my seat of the car, my eyes widened in fear. I've just been freaking kidnapped by two idiots who think The Hunger Games are real! Not that I don't like Hunger Games because I do… a ton… but that's beside the point. The point is that these two are taking me to who knows where; when they think they're taking me to the 'Capital' because I've somehow been selected to be a tribute in the Games! And I thought I'd seen the weirdest of Colorado… obviously not, they think that they're taking me underground where their society is, and that they've taken hostage the freaking president!

"What's your last name, son?" Said a man who looked like your average trucker. I think his name was Joe. At least that's what the second man, Riley, told me.

"B-Brooks." I stuttered.

"So your whole name is Sage Brooks… hey isn't Sage a flower?"

"Sage is a plant thank you. I wasn't named after a flower." I said, agitated. These guys are probably drunk or something, so getting away should be pretty easy after they get me out of these handcuffs.

"Ah. Here we are." We were parked in bunch of bushes, and I was let out of the car. Joe grasped the dog leash connected to my handcuffs tightly.

"Keep up, or I'll have to drag you." He yanked the leash hard, making me almost fall flat on my face. I trudged on, looking at the ground.

Why me? I was just hunting, having a decent time, until these freaks showed up. Why was_ I_ selected for this torture?

"So, tell me again why I was chosen out of every boy in Colorado?"

"You're accuracy is pretty good, far better than most boys your age." I was fifteen; my skills with a gun weren't _that_ impressive.

"I'm not that great."

"You're phenomenal. You shoot everything in the eye nearly every time." I smirked. That was because of The Hunger Games. After I read the books, I wanted to shoot like Katniss, but with a gun. After over two years I got it down.

"Well… I'm still not that great." Oh who was I kidding, I was _really_ good.

"Don't be modest."

"We're almost at the entrance." Riley said.

After a few more minutes of walking in one of Colorado's forests, we stopped.

"This is the place." Riley crouched down and began shoveling leaves and dirt out if the way. He exposed what looked like the doors of a rocket. He opened it and climbed in.

"Don't worry, there's a ladder that leads to the elevator."

"Well how am I supposed to climb it if my hands are handcuffed?" I had to practically bite my tongue to keep 'morons' from slipping out with the rest of my sentence.

"Good point. Joe." Joe un-handcuffed me and put a rough hand on my shoulder.

"Don't you run away son, or you'll be sorry. Now, down the ladder." I nodded and scrambled down after Riley. When I reached the bottom we went into the elevator and started descending to who knows where.

When the elevator doors opened, I stepped out and my mouth hung open in awe of the amazing sight before me.

It looked just like a real city, and it was huge! Large buildings were lined along the sidewalks. There were houses, and apartments, and supermarkets, and all sorts of stuff!

I looked around in every direction. Wow… the _sky_ even looked real! These dudes weren't kidding, everything was real! Wait, everything was _real_! Oh holy crap…

"This is amazing…" I whispered to myself, still in awe of the amazing underground city.

"You're lucky you only live in Colorado, the place where you'll stay and train before the games is in Kansas."

"Why Kansas?"

"It's the heart of America." He saw me gawking at all the amazing houses and said,

"This is just one of our residential areas along with a few shopping centers and supermarkets. The place you'll be going is not far away if you take the train, which is what we'll be taking."

"Uh… ok…" I said in awe. The whole thing was super cool, and looked just like how the Capital looked the Hunger Games movie. Like, every detail was the same!

"Wait, a train?" I asked.

"Like the Hunger Games train?"

"Yep, it took a year and a half of nonstop work to get it up and running."

"Cool!" I exclaimed. Then a thought struck me: I could easily get away now! The city is so big; I could lose them no problem. Joe put a hard hand on my shoulder.

"We'll walk to the train, it isn't far." Riley led the way through the huge underground city. I stared at all of the things they had made underground, it was incredible. They must have dug for a long time just to get it the right depth! The sky was super high up, making everything even more realistic. I saw people driving cars along the streets, people inside the houses and stores, and people out walking their dogs. There were really people down here!

"Are all of these people part of your 'corporation'?"

"Of course." I nodded. I had swallowed most of my fear; I know that I'll be able to escape these idiots, now it's just a waiting game. As soon as they let me out of their sight, I'll run.

"So Sage, what do you think of the Capital?"

"It's pretty amazing," I admitted. So they might have an underground society, but no way did they take the president hostage.

"How'd you do all of this?"

"We used our resources." Gee, could he be vaguer?

Once I stepped foot inside the train, my jaw dropped. It looked exactly like the train in the movie!

"Dang… Okay, I'm officially impressed. Again." Riley patted my back.

"I knew you would be. Take a seat; it'll be about fifteen minutes until we reach the part of the Capital where you'll be staying until the games."

"Okay." I said, not really paying attention. I was soaking in all of the awesomeness of the train.

Joe took a glass and poured a tea colored liquid that was unmistakably alcohol into it.

"Oh, no way, that's cool." I was praying he'll get drunk; it'll help my cause drastically. He chuckled.

"No you can't have any."

"I didn't want any!" I said, wrinkling my nose.

You know, normally someone in my position would be, like, screaming their head off and freaking out. I _had_ been kidnapped after all. But that's not me. Besides, I can get away; I just need to wait them out. Trust is the key word here.

…

"And here we are at the Tributes' Building." Riley said, pointing to a large skyscraper-like building with the Capital symbol on it. The train came to a silent stop. There were literally thousands of people surrounding the train tracks. They were cheering and applauding… just like in the books.

"So all of these people just came here to watch me show up? Dang, they need to get a life."

"They came to watch you and the other ninety nine tributes. They're excited. For the next couple weeks, the Hunger Games _will_ be their lives." I rolled my eyes. The Games couldn't physically happen. They just couldn't. No way, no how.

"Are the other 'tributes' here yet?"

"Some, but not all. Obviously Kansas is here, as well as the other states that surround it and maybe some more… it's hard to tell."

"But… isn't there supposed to be a girl tribute with me too?"

"Yes. She's in the train in front of us. You'll meet her inside the building."

"What's her name?"

"Violet."

"And why was she picked for this?" I doubt she even existed. I mean c'mon, I didn't even see another train so they're making this crap up.

"Let's just say her favorite character is Clove." Ah, knives…

"Oh."

"Now, Joe and I will be on either side of you, there will be reporters but just look straight ahead and don't say a word to them. We'll save you for the official interviews." I nodded.

"Okay."

"Don't try to run off now, you'll be sorry." Joe said.

"I won't." I hope my face didn't show what a fake promise that was. I was flanked by these two knuckleheads into the huge building. Cameras flashed, and it seemed like different news stations were there taping my entering of this giant building. Even if I tried my hardest, I wouldn't be able to get through the huge mass of people in my way. I'd have to stick with these clowns a little while longer it seemed.

The thing was huge on the inside, decorated with beautiful marble and amazing chandeliers. But it was empty. So where are these other ninety nine tributes they've been going on about?

"Where is everyone?"

"In the grand room where we'll decide stylists and mentors. C'mon, just follow us." I nodded and was led into the 'grand room'. When he said grand, he wasn't joking at all. It was jumbo sized. Make that super jumbo sized. And yes, there were other people around my age there.

Thoughts churning, I quickly came up with a logical explanation: mass murder.

"So, where's Violet?"

"Over there." He pointed over to where we were headed. I followed his finger and saw the girl.

She had short hair that had been dyed black, hazel eyes, and wore all black. She looked up when we got closer.

"So, you're Sage?" She asked.

"Yup, you're Violet?" she nodded. Oh God… she was _real_. Okay, so they're still obviously making this crap up, no _way_ is The Hunger Games real.

"We'll leave you guys for now, the doors are locked from the outside, so don't get any big ideas." Riley said. Violet rolled her eyes and I nodded. The two left through the giant doors.

"So, do you believe any of this?" I asked.

"Believe it or not, I'm starting to." She replied.

"Really? Why? You know that the Games aren't real and couldn't happen."

"Yeah, I also believed an underground corporation couldn't happen." She had a point.

"Well…"

"Look. Supposedly the president is going to be on TV tonight to talk about the games."

"Really? What time?"

"I don't know. They'll probably make us watch it though."

"I think that was all just talk to scare us. I personally think they'll just kill us off. Maybe have us line up and shoot us one by one."

"I don't think so Sage, I think this thing is _really_ happening."

"I don't believe anything these psychos are saying."

"But, if the president really _does_ come on TV tonight…"

"He won't. But if he does, then this really_ is_ The Hunger Games."

"Exactly. It looks to be about seven or eight right now, so he'll be on soon."

"If they don't kill us and this thing is actually real, then yes." More and more people were flooding into the room.

"Who do you get your eyes from Sage? I've never seen eyes that color blue before."

"From my mom. It runs in her family." Both my cerulean blue eyes and my blond hair came from her. The only thing I got from my dad was my ability with a gun.

"Oh, that's cool." I nodded in agreement. I _did_ get remarks on my eye color quite often, pretty much every day actually.

I looked around and surveyed the room.

That's when I saw her. She had beautiful curled dark brown hair that went a little below her shoulders, and eyes that matched. She was wearing a sky blue hoodie and jeans. She easily had the prettiest face I'd ever seen. I wanted so badly to introduce myself to her, but just couldn't bring myself to. Not now, it wouldn't be a good time anyways… I wonder what state she's from… Wait what the crap am I even saying? We're probably all from Colorado!

"Dude, what are you staring at?" Violet waved a hand in front of my face and I stopped staring at the girl instantly and stared at the floor instead.

"Uh, nothing." Violet's eyes gleamed with curiosity, but she didn't press the issue. Instead she said,

"I heard you're a sharp shooter."

"I'm pretty good. What about you? I heard you're good with knives."

"I am. It took me almost a year of begging to get my parents to get me the knives though. They insisted I'd cut myself or someone else. I wouldn't though, not on purpose."

"My parents thought I'd shoot myself accidentally with my gun, so it took me about that long as well to convince them otherwise."

"I know, what's the deal with parents? We aren't _that_ young. I'm fourteen, how old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Ah. So see, we can handle weapons. We aren't going to like become murderers or something."

"Yeah, I-"

"Children! Children face the front please! We have a big announcement for you all." I turned to the direction of the loud voice that undoubtedly came from a microphone. A man with slicked back jet black hair and creepy green eyes was talking on a platform. Behind him was a huge movie theater sized TV.

"Hey! We aren't children!" The girl in the sky colored hoodie spoke up, in an agitated tone. Her voice was beautiful; I'd never heard one like it.

"Yeah!" The boy standing next to her put in. He was skinny, and had bright red hair that reminded me of Ron Weasley. The creepy man smiled.

"Yes of course. Then… how about… _adolescents_?" He looked to the girl for confirmation.

"Good, that's better." She said with dignity.

"Everyone, I am Darren Millstone, head Gamemaker of the first annual Hunger Games! I would first off like to congratulate all one hundred of you for being the young man or woman chosen to represent your state in the games. I-"

"Could you cut the crap already?" The girl spoke up again, interrupting him.

"I don't want to listen to anymore of this, just tell us what you brought us all here for!" Her outburst caused a ruckus of yelling from the others. They obviously had been told the same story, and were agreeing with her. They too didn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth.

I didn't want to join in even though Violet did. I knew it would cause problems, plus I'm not into the whole yelling thing. I don't get angry very often.

"Silence!" He shouted so loud it hurt my ears. They all shut up and stared at him. You could tell he was furious.

"That's better. Now, our very own president is going to be on national television in about a minute to announce the start of The Hunger Games. In a few hours, we will start the tribute parade. Understand?" We all just stared at him.

"Right, well. For those who don't believe in the Hunger Games, the president will convince you otherwise." Darren took out a remote and turned on the giant TV, then stepped down from the stage. I looked at violet.

"Let's see how this turns out." She rolled her eyes.

"These guys are _freaks_." I nodded. Suddenly, the president appeared on the TV. He was sitting on a wooden chair in a boring gray suit. The background was a place I didn't recognize.

"Hello, America. I-I'm on tonight to tell you about a new law that has been passed. It states: There will be an annual Hunger Games every year for eternity, no exceptions. Every twenty five years there will be a Quarter Quell in honor to celebrate the milestone. A-at those of you who may not know of The Hunger Games, I will elaborate on it for you. Each state will put one girl and boy between the ages of twelve and eighteen into the Games. They are put into the arena that is custom made each year, and there they will fight to the death on live TV in front of the nation. Once the victor is crowned, they will receive three hundred million dollars as well as a mansion of their choosing in our Victors' Village. You do not have to fret about your child possibly being chosen for this yet, the tributes for this year have already been chosen and the families have been notified. The G-Gamemakers C-Corporation has had some of its members scattered around surveying the teens for any special qualities they might have. Gamemakers will be taking over the TV network starting tonight with the Tribute Parade. There you'll get to see the tributes for the first time as will our sponsors. The games will be the only thing on TV for the next few weeks. You _will_ be forced to watch this… _marvelous_ creation unfold each year. It is the law, and it will be enforced. Those who do not obey will be thrown in jail or executed. Thank you America, that is all." The TV went black, but not because Darren turned it off. Then, out of nowhere a symbol appeared on the screen. It was a picture of male deer with antlers as sharp and knives. He stood proudly with his chest puffed out defiantly, and he had a sort of regal bearing about him. The background was a giant 'G'.

I stared at the screen with a mix of fear and disbelief. That really was the president, no one could've made that up… it's real. The Games are real. Everything hasn't been a lie… it's_ real_. I stood in a daze, it just _couldn't_ be real!

"S-Sage?" I turned to Violet.

"Sage we're going to _die_!" Her last word came out as a sob, and she collapsed to her knees on the floor, her face in her hands. Was everyone reacting the way she was? I looked around. Many others were sobbing uncontrollably, even the guys. Very few showed little emotion like I did, but then again that was another characteristic of me. I never show how I really feel unless I want to.

I looked over to the girl I just couldn't keep my eyes off of. She was standing stiffly, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She was very different from Violet, who was an emotional wreck. Then again, she had a right to be. We all did. We were going into the games. We were going to die… all but one of us. I had to be the strong one, I couldn't look weak. That'd put a target on my back. I tried comforting Violet, I felt incredibly bad for her.

"It'll be okay Violet. It'll be fine. We'll be allies, we can help each other." It was a long shot. She looked up and me with a tear-stained face.

"You'd be my ally?" She sniffed. Wow… did she really think I wouldn't be her ally? We're from the same state… it isn't _that_ hard to believe…

"Sure. We _are_ from the same state after all, and two heads are _way_ better than one." She sighed.

"Thanks. Now I have one less thing to worry about."

I looked at the girl again. She was pacing now, with her head down.

Violet wasn't the only one I wanted as my ally. I wanted the girl. I don't know why… but… I have to get her on my side.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright people, here's chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Hunger Games. I DO however own the plot and the marvelous characters I have created!**

* * *

(Amber's P.O.V)

I kept pacing. My mind was running laps in my head. I just couldn't grasp the fact that this was really happening. That this was my fate… to die. Well… at least I'm not like the idiot boy from my state. Zachary's his name. He's curled up in a tight ball on the floor looking like a complete idiot. I wanted to slap him across the face and say, "Get it together man! This is the Hunger Games!", but I didn't. I guess everyone handles their upcoming deaths differently.

I stole a glance at the boy who kept looking over at me. He had blond hair that was spiked up and had unusual cerulean blue eyes. They were quite pretty… hypnotizing almost… I shook my head rapidly, trying to clear it. The _last _thing I should be thinking about right now is that boy's eye color!

Alright… who would make good allies, and who would want to slit my throat? It's so hard to tell right now, but that's when these things have to be decided. It's like pick of the litter sort of. There was one girl I saw. She looked like a good person to have on your side, and a bad person to be against you. She wasn't very tall or particularly strong physically, but looked strong enough mentally to handle what was thrown at her. Zachary though… absolutely not. He's definitely not making the cut.

Darren tapped the microphone a couple of times to get our attention.

"Now everyone, it's time to decide mentors and stylists!" Whoopee freaking doo. I don't really give a crap who they are, as long as they have something worthwhile to say and don't make me look like a buffoon in front of the nation.

I saw two huge wheels like the one they use on Wheel of Fortune being wheeled in onto the stage. On the giant wheels there were faces on each minuscule section. They were all completely foreign to me.

"Each state will get one mentor and one stylist. We will go in the order in which your state became a state. So we'll start with Delaware, and end with Hawaii. Make sense?" He didn't wait for any kind of commentary before going on.

"I'll spin both wheels for your state and the ones the pointers land on will be yours. Like I said, we'll start with Delaware." I groaned inwardly. Kansas was the thirty fourth state. I stood impatiently waiting for my state's turn.

…

Finally, after over an hour of Darren rambling, it was Kansas' turn.

"And now for Kansas, the thirty fourth state!" Darren called out. He spun the first wheel, which was the stylist wheel. It spun around fast and eventually stopped on a man named Jamie Twist. Like the others, Jamie was brought out in handcuffs. Zachary and I were required to go up at this time to greet him. We looked at each other, and then went up to the giant stage. Jamie's handcuffs were unlocked, and we shook his hand.

Jamie was a man of small stature. He was only an inch or so taller than me and I'm five six. He had curly dark brown hair that was almost black. His light blue eyes were accessing us.

"And now for the mentors!" Darren shouted happily. He spun the wheel and we got a woman named Jennifer Augustine. She had short red hair and brown eyes. I shook her hand, her expression unreadable. The four of us stepped off the stage and back to where we were before.

"Did you two see the president on TV?" I asked our mentor and stylist. They both nodded.

"Yes, the whole idea of this thing is revolting." Jamie said.

"I agree." Jennifer said with clear disgust.

"Well, do you have any advice? That _is_ what you're supposed to be doing after all. I know all of the basics. Find water, find food, make shelter, don't make fires, yada yada yada. I want to know about the things I don't already know about."

"You're wrong about the fire part. You should make fires, but only small ones. And use dry grass and leaves. If you use anything green or wet you'll get tons of smoke." Jennifer replied.

"Well duh. I know that."

"Were you given any hints about the arena?" Zachary asked.

"No. Nothing. But be prepared for something totally unexpected. You can never be confident, you have to always be wary and on guard." I knew all of that too, but I held my tongue. Zachary nodded.

"How do you make shelter in a desert?" I asked.

"Well… you don't. You find shade. If there are large rock cliffs, then find a cave. But the other tributes will be doing that as well remember, and there might not even be a cave at all."

"Well what about in the snow?"

"You make a snow cave. If the snow's deep enough just build a cave out of it. Igloos take too much time and they're too permanent."

I saw the boy with the cerulean eyes and spiky hair was going up with a girl that had short black hair and green eyes. She was dressed all in black. They got a stylist named Abbey Chesterfield, and a mentor by the name of Kylie Marks. Abbey had short auburn hair in a pixie cut, was very tall, and had brown eyes. Kylie had light brown straight hair and green eyes.

"Amber!" Jamie snapped his fingers in front of my face, bringing my attention back to him and Jennifer.

"Focus!"

"Sorry." I mumbled. He could tell I didn't mean it.

"Look. We'll talk more strategy later. For now we need to discuss your costumes for the parade." Ugh. The Tribute Parade.

"So, like, are we going to be giant _wheat stalks_ or something?" I asked. Jamie smiled.

"No, nothing like that. I want you to be remembered as powerful. Powerful and brave. Like warriors. Which is why you're going to be dressed as Kansa Indians." Okay, as much as I hated to admit it, I like the idea. As long as we didn't look stupid, we could pull it off.

"Are we gonna go all out with face paint and stuff?" Zachary asked.

"We'll get you guys all ready, and if you need it we'll use it and if you don't then we won't."

"When do we need to be in the remake center?"

"As soon as the last state has their mentor and stylist."

"Jamie, who consists of your team?" I asked.

"They're all top notch. I'm sure they'll introduce themselves to you when they makeover you guys. Half of my team will take you, and the other half will take Zachary."

"Who will _you_ work on?"

"You." A disturbing thought crossed my mind.

"Wait does this all mean I have to take off all my clothes in front of you people?" I made sure my disgust was very evident. Jamie's ears turned red.

"Ah, well… yes." I shivered involuntarily.

"Absolutely not. No way, no how."

"You'll have to if y-"

"I don't give a crap about what you think I have to do; I'm not going to do_ that_. I mean c'mon, can we say perverted any louder? I'm not going to stand there naked while you _inspect_ me. Sorry, not happening." I said angrily, cutting him off. I wasn't going to back down on this.

"But Darren insisted that-"

"I don't care about what Darren insisted," I spat.

"I. Don't. Give. A. Crap." I stared at him defiantly.

"I'm on Amber's side on this actually. It _is_ very awkward." Jennifer put in.

"More than that." I said. Jamie sighed.

"Fine, but we can't let Darren find out." I smiled triumphantly.

…

After Hawaii had their mentor and stylist, the tributes were herded into the remake center with their stylists and their crew. Jennifer didn't accompany us for this; she left to attend to another matter.

Jamie's team was a strange bunch. The ones working with me were Elliot, Marcie, and Greg. Elliot was a stout man with electric red hair and eyes the same color. Marcie had bright neon yellow hair pulled back in a ponytail, had purple eyes, and seemed like the gossipy type to me. Greg had dyed blue hair, and eyes that were bright orange.

So they were getting into the spirit of things by dressing like freaks… isn't that nice… just lovely… that right there tells me I couldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.

I was allowed to stay in my bra and underwear, which I wasn't too happy about since most of the people working on me were guys. But it's much better than having nothing on at all.

After almost two hours of constant work on me, Jamie held up my costume to put on along with all of its accessories. Once I saw it, I was instantly repelled by it. It looked like something from Avatar! You know, the sci-fi movie filled with really big blue monkey people that have like zero clothing on? Yeah… it looked like something one of them would wear…

"Jeez, could you make it a little more revealing?" I asked sarcastically.

"Just put on the costume."

"Will Zachary be in something this… minimal?"

"Yes. We had to make you look memorable." Yeah, memorable to all the perverted men!

"I don't like it. It's disgusting."

"You don't have to like it, you just have to put it on and wear it for just this one night. Okay?"

"No."

"Would you rather have no clothes on at all?"

"Well this thing isn't much better! Are you serious about this?"

"One hundred percent."

"Ugh."

"Put it on, or I'll force you to."

"How exactly would you do that?"

"I would make you put it on in front of me to make sure you don't try to ruin it." I sighed.

"Give me the damn costume!" I grumbled angrily, snatching the thing from him.

After it was on I looked at the person in the mirror. I smiled at the thought of my Dad seeing me in this tonight. Ha, he'll throw a hissy fit.

Besides the scarce amount of clothing I had on, I had a necklace made from sharp bones, like the ones Native American leaders used. I had various adornments that were tribal-like such as arm bands and things, and my hair was kept like it usually was: curled in soft waves that framed my face. They used about a gallon of hair spray on me though, I'm lucky I can still breathe!

My face was kept natural. They basically just polished me, but still made me look stunning. I had barely any makeup on at all actually. They just used minimal amounts to highlight my face. They did a good job, I just hate the outfit. When I returned to Jamie, his face lit up.

"Oh, you're going to _kill_ it!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Where's Zachary?"

"He's still with his half of my team I suppose. I'm sure he'll be coming in a few minutes or so."

"Ah. What time do we go on in the parade?"

"In about ten minutes. Jennifer is going to give you the plan. She'll tell you how you're supposed to look, how you're supposed to act, what body language to use, and things like that."

"Fine." Zachary came in. His outfit was just as revealing as mine was. He barely had anything on at all, just a brown cloth-like thing that barely covered him up. He wasn't very muscular, but he had necklaces, arm bands, and some fake tattoos that were tribal-like to hide his none-muscular frame. His light gray eyes widened like saucers when he saw me.

"Say one word, and you're dead." I growled. He immediately averted his gaze to the floor.

"Hey, uh, what are we doing for shoes?" I asked Jamie.

"Oh, I was planning on you not wearing shoes."

"Umm… okay I guess." That's odd… couldn't we just wear moccasins? Weren't those all tribal-like and stuff?

"Good, now that you're both here, I want to add the final touch." Jamie pulled out two absolutely gorgeous bird feathers. I could tell instantly that they were from a barn owl because I'm an animal freak like that. I let Jamie fasten the feather in my hair where he deemed fit, and watched him do the same to Zachary.

"You two look great!"He exclaimed.

Jennifer came in the room. She looked at our outfits and then at me with an amused expression.

"You hate it don't you." She said. It wasn't a question, but more of a statement.

"Yup." She chuckled.

"Just deal with it, it'll be better for you in the long run."

"Whatever!" I snapped.

"I'm just trying to help; you don't need to snap at me like that." She replied, frowning.

"Well you aren't the one being thrown into a living hell, so I think I have the right to be a little on the snappy side!" I said, raising my voice.

"I have to watch everything on live TV!" Her voice was getting louder as well.

"Yeah, but you won't actually _be_ there! _You_ won't have to kill other people who have families that'll watch them die back home, wondering how they deserved the fate that was brought upon them. _You_ won't be the one struggling every day trying to survive. _You_ won't be the murderer." Jennifer was speechless, I saw her eyes turn from angry and frustrated to sympathetic and somewhat in shock.

I think I just gave her a reality check. Yes, she'd watch us all die on TV, and yes it'll be traumatizing, but what I'll have to go through is much, much worse. I'll become a murderer, just like I said. A cold-hearted killer.

"Okay okay, just calm down guys." Jamie said, stepping in between us.

"There's no need for fighting like this, we need to band together. We can't be at each other's throats." I sighed, realizing he was right. I really shouldn't have yelled at her, she really _was_ just trying to help. I felt my newfound anger start to ebb away.

"Amber… I'm sorry…" Jennifer said quietly.

"I-I'm sorry too… I know you were just trying to help me…" I mumbled, looking at the ground.

"I know you're going through a lot, but look at me. Look at me Amber." I met her gaze reluctantly.

"You won't be looked at as a murderer; the nation knows you have to kill to survive."

"But the families and friends of the people I kill… they'll see what I really am. A killer."

"No, you're wrong." I shook my head sadly.

"No, I'm right. I'll be _slaughtering_ other people… what would _you_ call me?" Silence. I stared at the floor again.

"Guys… let's just change the subject." Zachary said. I nodded.

"Well… so what's the plan for the parade?" I asked.

"I want you both to stand proudly. I don't want you to wave, and I don't want you to smile. I want you both to look fierce and determined to win."

"Got it."

"Have you seen any of the other states' costumes?" Zachary asked.

"No, we aren't allowed to."

"Oh."

"Now, we've put paint and feathers on the horses connected to your chariot. They look quite pretty." At the mention of horses I perked up. I take riding lessons back home, plus I _love_ animals.

"What breed are they?" I asked even though the question was irrelevant.

"Uh I think they're Clydesdales."

"Cool. When do we have to get into the chariot?"

"Now would be a good time actually." I nodded.

The four of us went down to the chariots and before I knew it, we were beginning the long trek in front of the nation. I did exactly as Jennifer instructed, even though I was scared out of my mind.

There was a man who looked to be about six feet tall, and he was wearing a neon green suit. He had to be the announcer because he was talking in front of a bunch of video cameras and stuff. He definitely stood out among the bunch. Jeez, that's a little _too_ much of a fashion statement if you ask me, even for the Capital freaks. I looked over the crowd. Some were normal, and some had 'capitalized' themselves if you know what I mean. They had wigs that were all colors of the rainbow and wacky outfits and things like that.

I looked at the other tributes' costumes. Some of them were just plain pathetic. California's tributes fit into one giant costume of the golden gate bridge. You could see their faces and their legs which were in pale yellow jeans or something, but the bridge was the main focus. Dang, was their stylist like drunk or something when he or she designed that? I see what he or she was trying to do, but a _bridge_?

We definitely looked good, and I could tell the crowd loved us.

When we got to the end of the long track, I looked at more of the tributes that arrived.

I almost laughed out loud at Colorado. The boy was dressed as the state's animal: The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. The big horns that were on him looked ridiculous, and he had _hooves_! The girl was a little less humiliating, but the stylist could've totally done better. She was dressed at the state's insect: The Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly. The wings themselves were pretty, but the way the stylist put them on made her look like a little kid dressed up as a fairy on Halloween! They both were smiling, but you could easily tell their smiles were strained and frightened.

"Some of these people look really stupid!" Zachary exclaimed in a whisper.

"I know," I whispered back, stealing another glance at California.

"What were their mentors thinking?"

"Maybe they did that on purpose, to attract attention."

"Well, they're getting attention all right. But not the kind they wanted." Zachary chuckled.

"Yeah…" As I looked at him, I began to think.

Previously today, I had ruled him out of my alliance list. Now, I'm wondering. Though he's a little on the wimpy side, I could still use him. He might make a fine hunter. If he proves to be useless in that area, then I can have him hunt for berries and such, or maybe even light a fire or improve our shelter or something. I know fires are dangerous, but hey, you've gotta cook your food somehow. If we keep it tiny and use the right stuff we would be alright.

Out of my own interest I asked,

"Zachary, what's your weapon?"

"Spear." A spear huh… I could work with that… He could be useful.

"Are you good?"

"I think I'm pretty decent."

"Do you practice at home?"

"Yes. I make my own targets."

"Do you hit the center very often?"

"Oh, I'd say about sixty five to seventy percent of the time I do. What about you? What's_ your_ weapon?"

"Bow and arrow." He laughed again.

"Of course it is."

"It's not just because of Katniss. I mean of course the books influenced me into getting one, but I've always had an interest in them. Hunger Games just turned the initial spark into a flame I guess. I've been practicing for quite a long time now."

"So I take it you're pretty good then."

"Yeah. I'm really good." We were silent for a few moments before Zachary said,

"Hey uh… do you… do you want to be allies?" Okay decision time. Zachary could be helpful to me, and he doesn't seem like the back-stabbing type. He'd be a loyal companion I could trust. And in the games, trust is a very important factor. I know I had originally ruled him out… but… I think it would be wise to reconsider.

"Sure. We are from the same state after all… we should stick together." He smiled.

"Great. I now know there's at least one person in here I can trust."

"Welcome, tributes!" My head snapped to Darren. I guess all of the tributes had arrived.

"We all wish each of you well. We know that you will make the first annual Hunger Games a hit, and we have confidence that you all will try your hardest. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" The crowd roared.

I shook my head. Just how could these people be so excited for something this catastrophic… how could they be counting down the days and hours until the bloodbath… how could they be so… so inhuman?


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games! I only own my characters and my plot!**

* * *

(Sage's P.O.V)

After we got back to our floor, I took the stupid costume off.

Abbey must be completely crazy. How could she think people would take us seriously if we're dressed up in dorky things like this? I put on a white T-shirt and some jeans.

"Well… that was embarrassing…" Violet commented. She had changed out of her costume as well and was now wearing her all black outfit again.

"Why couldn't we have _cool_ costumes?" I instantly thought of the Kansas girl. She had looked beautiful… beautiful, but deadly at the same time. Her costume complimented her in every way, and made her look absolutely amazing. Her composure however, was fierce and determined. She was kinda scary looking.

I began to think about my strategy for the Games. I could either pretend to be weak then come out strong, or I could be the tough guy who looks ready to take on the world. Both could potentially make be a target, and both could potentially save my life. If I pretend to be weak, the others might not waste their time trying to kill me when there are bigger threats, or they could just kill me right away since I couldn't defend myself very well. If I act tough, the tributes would definitely be more wary of me. That's a guarantee. They could choose to either stay away from me because they'll think I'll kill them, or they'd make me one of their first victims because they wanna take out the strongest first.

Violet waved her hand in front of my face.

"Hello? Earth to Sage!"

"What? Oh… sorry…" I said.

"Ugh, did you even hear a word of what I just said?"

"Umm… no. Not really." She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I said we'd better make friends tomorrow or we're screwed." I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you could say that again."

"I think we'd better watch out for the tributes from Nevada and North and South Dakota. They all look, like, inhumanly strong." I had seen all six of them and she was right. They all were pretty well built for the Games.

"I know, and they'll probably all team up together."

"Exactly. Killing people will be harder once we get past the bloodbath. Everyone will be in little groups."

"Yes, but if we have a bigger group then we'd overpower them."

"Exactly. Have you seen any that you think would become our allies?" She snorted in amusement.

"After seeing our costumes tonight, they'll all probably stay far away from us."

"Yeah… we're probably the outcasts of the games now."

"Yup!" She said with fake enthusiasm.

"Okay you two… so the costumes were a bust." I turned my head when I heard Kylie's voice.

"Yeah they didn't turn out as Abbey planned." I agreed.

"But, if you impress everyone in training then you'll make up for it."

"But the sponsors are probably all still laughing at us." Violet said quietly.

"I know… just do your best in training. What's your weapon Violet?"

"Knives."

"And you Sage?"

"Well… I use a gun. I don't think they'll have any of those."

"No, they won't. But they _will_ have a crossbow." Perfect! A crossbow will definitely take some getting used to, but I could work with it.

"Good." Kylie nodded.

"What's your advice?" Violet asked.

"Advice? Isn't it obvious? Stay alive. _That's_ the best advice."

"Okay _Haymitch_, I mean other than that."

"Keep out of the other tributes way. Tomorrow you'll start making friends and enemies; I suggest you go with the careers."

"Umm which states are the careers?"

"So far, it looks like states New York, Arizona, North and South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Wyoming, New Jersey, and Washington." Oh great. North and South Dakota are both in their alliance, and the others must be strong as well since they've been accepted.

"That's eighteen people!"

"Yeah, you'd better watch yourself with them around." She sighed.

"It's about dinnertime; I'll see you both later."

"You aren't going to eat with us?"

"No, I'm going to snoop around a little bit and see what the sponsors thought of you two." That's smart; their input could help her design our future outfits and could potentially save our lives.

"Well have fun with that." Violet said.

"I don't think I will." She replied wearily. She then went into the elevator.

"You know, we should watch our backs around everyone, not just the careers. Think about it, all of these guys are the best of the best in their state. That's scary." Violet pointed out.

"Yeah, but we're also the top in our state as well."

"Well, we don't look too intimidating when I'm a freaking butterfly and you're a goat!" It was a bighorn sheep, but I got her point. Take Kansas for example. _They_ looked threatening.

"You're right." I admitted. I looked out of one of the huge windows. Being on the thirty eighth floor certainly has its perks, I could see a ton of the strange underground world.

I wonder what the arena will look like. Will it be a swamp? Or maybe an African savannah? Plus what other nightmares will be in it? I have to be prepared to fight off the deadliest creatures anyone could imagine.

"I'm going to lie down and rest a bit until dinner." Violet said. I heard her footsteps eventually disappear.

I stared out into the city, watching the night life. I had one other thing on my mind that refused to leave: That girl. I have to find out her name tonight. I'll go down to her floor and talk to her then, even though it's illegal. I really want her to be in our alliance, even though it's small. I don't care if the boy comes along as well, but I just want her there. My thoughts drifted from her to the city outside until it was time for dinner.

…

After an absolutely delicious dinner of turkey and other various sides, I went into my room for the first time since I had arrived. I had a king sized bed and a nightstand with a lamp, plus a huge window.

I lied on the bed wide awake, my thoughts churning wildly. I'm supposed to be falling asleep since tomorrow training starts, but I'm waiting for the others to go to bed. After I'm sure they're asleep, I'll go down the elevator to Kansas' floor.

My heart's about pound out of my chest any second now. What will I say? I ran about a thousand different things in my head before actually getting enough courage to go to the elevator.

I walked out of the elevator once I finally got the nerve to get on it, and stopped at her door. God… what do I say?! I started pacing. Suddenly the door opened and I whipped around wildly.

The girl. It's her. Oh. My. God. What am I supposed to say?

Crap… everything I had thought of was gone, leaving me looking like a fool in front of her. Her beautiful dark brown eyes cast me a puzzled glance.

"Oh… you're the guy from Colorado aren't you? I thought I heard someone out here, but I wasn't sure." She whispered.

"Uh… yeah…" I said absently, still staring at her. She had on a big t-shirt and striped PJ pants. She looked just as beautiful as before on the Chariots, and before when I saw her for the first time.

"Uh… are you here for a reason?" I felt my face go bright red.

"I-uh-yeah. M-my name's Sage. Sage Brooks." I held out my hand.

"I'm Amber Jackson." She shook it. Amber… what a pretty name…

"So Sage, why exactly are you here at my door?" Crap! I'm totally screwing this up! Stop staring at her, idiot, and talk to her!

"Y-yeah. See, I wanted to know if you'd wanna team up. You know… in an alliance."

"You want _me_ of all people in your alliance?"

"I-if you want to be." I looked at the floor. This wasn't going well.

"Well, there's this boy Zachary. He's from my state. Is the offer for him as well?" Is she saying that because she likes him, or because she's just looking out for someone from her state? Oh my God why am I even _thinking_ about that, that's completely off subject!

"O-of course." I stuttered. She nodded.

"Then we're in." I honestly hadn't expected an answer so soon.

"R-really?"

"Sure, why not."

"Great!"

"Is there anyone else besides you in our little group?"

"Yes. The girl from my state, but that's all."

"Ah, Goth girl." I smirked at the name she came up with for her.

"Her name's Violet." Amber nodded and brushed a few beautiful dark brown curls from her face.

"So, it'd be me, you, Zachary, and Violet then?"

"Yep."

"Cool. Do you guys have a game plan?"

"Nope, we should probably make one."

"I don't really have one either… what would be a good plan of attack for this thing?"

I thought about it, and one thing instantly came to mind. It was stupid, and she'd probably think _I_ was stupid… but… what if Amber and I did the star-crossed lovers act? It could be a huge asset if we manage to pull it off.

"W-what about…" I trailed off, knowing how stupid I would sound if I said it.

"What about what?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

"Nothing…" I muttered, my ears burning.

"No, say it. Really I'd be open to just about any sort of plan."

"Well… what if… what if we were star-crossed lovers?" She gaped at me. I couldn't hold her gaze. Great, now I'd done it.

"That… that won't work. Do you know how many other states will be doing that?" she said eventually.

"Well… we'd just have to make it believable."

"But… I'm just not sure that it'd work."

"I knew it was a stupid idea… just forget about it…" I said.

"No, it isn't entirely stupid. I'm just afraid we wouldn't be able to make it real enough."

"Yeah… that _would_ be a big problem… wait! Are you actually saying you wouldn't mind doing that?" I couldn't believe my ears. I thought she'd get all freaked out on me and back out of the alliance!

"It could improve our chances of winning Sage, I'm well aware of the benefits it would bring." I nodded.

"It could potentially give us a ton of sponsors… I just don't know…" I think of something, and I think it could work.

"Then we say that we're already a couple! We say in the interviews that we've been dating for almost a year, and we met at a… at a…" That's where my thoughts ran dry.

"An archery summer camp! Wait, do you use a bow?" Amber asked, suddenly excited.

"Perfect! I'm going to use a crossbow!" I replied gleefully.

"Yes! And we could say it devastates us that we were both picked!"

"We could pull it off!"

"We could!" She sighed, relieved.

"But it has to be convincing, we can't slip up, not once." I nodded.

"I know. We'll have to act in love with each other right from the get go."

"No," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"But really. We have to make the nation believe us, or we're screwed."

"Which is why our task will be very difficult." I pointed out.

"It will, but everyone will love it. I mean c'mon, who doesn't love a forbidden love right?" She's right.

"Right." I agreed.

"We'll talk more with Zachary and Violet tomorrow."

"Oh hey, will he mind that you signed him up for this alliance? Maybe he doesn't want to be in it."

"He'll be fine, what about Violet?"

"I've talked to her; she said the more the merrier."

"Okay, but… there is this one girl I saw that I think could be useful. She's from California."

"Ah, the California girl. Yeah, I only saw a glimpse of her through her bridge costume."

"Oh that costume made yours look stellar!" She said, laughing quietly.

"Yeah I know it was actually _worse_ than mine!" I smirked at the ridiculous golden gate bridge outfit the two tributes had shared.

"But… I thought _your_ outfit was amazing." I said honestly.

"Oh God! I hated that thing!" She exclaimed.

"Really? Why?"

"It was _way_ to revealing for my liking." I nodded in understanding.

"Oh."

"Yeah… ugh I absolutely despised it." She grimaced and I grinned at the face she was making.

"I would have much rather liked to be the goat thing you were."

"No you wouldn't have. It was embarrassing. At least you got the sponsors' attentions."

"That was the only plus about it though." She yawned.

"It's late. I have to get to bed soon so I can perform at my best tomorrow. I suggest you do the same." I nodded.

"Yeah. Well… goodnight Amber." She smiled.

"Night Sage." She softly closed the door leaving me alone. I went back up the elevator and back to my room. I got to my room and put on my PJs. As soon as I got under my covers I heard footsteps.

"Just where did you go?" It was Violet.

"Uh… I don't know what you're talking about." I said quickly.

"Go back to bed. You're dreaming."

"No I'm not." She replied impatiently.

"Where did you go?"

"How did you know I left?"

"I heard the elevator, now where'd you go?"

"Let's just say… I made us a friend."

"You went to Kansas girl's floor?" Dang, how'd she know!

"Yeah, her and the boy from her state are in. And her name's Amber."

"So, you're sure they're both in though."

"Positive."

"Good."

"But she does want to add the girl from California to our alliance if that's okay."

"Sure, that's fine. I don't care."

"Good."

"Now I guess I'll head off to bed. But Sage,"

"Yeah?" I said with a yawn.

"You really like her, don't you?" The question caught me completely off guard. I sighed.

"Is it really that noticeable?"

"Just a tad. I wouldn't go after her though if I were you. It just couldn't work. Who knows maybe you'll have to kill her." With that, she was gone.

That was the exact thing that was worrying me. But no, I wouldn't kill her. I _couldn't_.

I thought about the conversation I had with Amber before I started drifting off.

We _could_ make the whole thing work out; we'd just need to work at it. No, _she'd_ just need to work at it. My feelings are all out there… I just wonder if she'll ever pick up that they're real.

* * *

**Review pretty please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games!**

* * *

(Amber's P.O.V)

I awoke to Jennifer shaking me awake.

"Time to get up. Training starts today remember."

"I know." I grumbled, sitting up.

"Use the method Katniss used during training. Don't unleash your archery talents in front of everyone. Wait until you're called individually in a few days. Primarily focus on the skills you absolutely suck at." I nodded and went to take a shower.

After I got out and brushed through my dark brown hair that now smelled like fruits, I put on the training outfit lying on my bed. When I came out of my room, Jennifer and Jamie were setting out omelets for breakfast.

I just wasn't hungry. I was nervous out of my mind, and I'd probably throw up anything I ate. I sat in one of the comfy chairs in front of the giant TV and thought.

That boy Sage. What to make of him? He seems like he just wants to add more people to his group… but why me? It couldn't have been because of my skills because training starts today. So why would he ask _me_? Not that I don't want to be in his little group because I do. It could help my chances of winning… if I make it past the bloodbath that is…

And then with the whole lovers act. Why on earth would he choose _me_ to be the other part of this fake relationship? Couldn't he do all that lovey dovey crap with Violet? Then again I had to admit it was a good idea. The Capital will _love_ a forbidden love… it'll provide excellent TV.

"Breakfast is ready Amber." Jamie called.

"Not hungry." I replied. I know I need energy for training today… but I really don't want food right now.

"Too bad, you need to eat." Jennifer said sternly.

"We can't have you walking around like a zombie during training."

"I can walk around like a zombie if I want to!" I replied stubbornly.

"No, you can't. At least eat a piece of toast or something."

"Fine…" I grumbled. I got up and bit a corner off of a piece that was lying on a plate near the center of the table.

"Thank you." Jennifer says.

"Whatever…" Zachary came out of his room and his eyes lit up.

"Omelets! Yum!" He exclaimed, hurrying to get one. He sat down in the chair next to where I was standing. Jennifer came to sit at the table with Jamie.

"So, how'd you two sleep?" Jennifer asked, taking a mouthful of his omelet.

"Good…" I said quietly.

"Yeah, same here." Zachary put in. She nodded.

"Now, I heard there's a new station for the tributes to go to and it sent off red flags in my head. It's an animal riding station. It's in a separate section from the rest because of the horses. Because of this new station, I think that the arena will have something to do with being able to ride some sort of animal." Oh God, this was _so_ up my alley!

"Awesome!" I exclaimed.

"I knew you'd like it Amber, but you have to stay away from it."

"Why?"

"Remember what I told you this morning. You can't be flaunting your talents in front of the others."

"Oh…" Well… that sucks!

"Oh Zachary, I hope you don't mind, I signed us up to be in an alliance already." I said suddenly. Zachary looked bewildered, as did Jennifer and Jamie.

"What? With who? Are they tough? Is it the careers?" He asked.

"Yes and how did you get acquainted with them already?" Jennifer asked.

"It's with the two from Colorado," I explained.

"They look pretty good to me."

"You made an alliance with goat boy and pixie girl?" I almost laughed out loud at the nicknames he made up for the two.

"Their names are Sage and Violet."

"Wait when did _this_ happen?" Jamie pressed.

"Uh… last night."

"But I was with you almost the whole time! When did you talk to them?" Zachary asked.

"Sage came over late. We talked, and I said we would join."

"Well… are you sure they're strong enough? Will they hold us back?" Oh like he's one to talk! Compared to Sage he's a twig!

"No, it'll be fine." I wonder if it's a good time to bring up the lovers act thing. Well… why not?

"And I uh… I'm kinda going to pretend to be in love with the boy." All eyes stared at me like I'd grown an extra head or something. I ate more of my toast, not looking at any of them.

"Oh no way! Seriously?" Zachary said.

"Are you sure that would work Amber? I get where you're going with all of this, but really?" Jennifer asked.

"Really. And we've worked out a way for it to be convincing, don't worry about that."

"If you're sure…"

"I am. I know what I'm doing. Just… just go along with it, okay?"

"Wait are you like, going to kiss him?" Zachary asked. I made an astonished face.

"No," I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. After a few minutes of silence, Zachary asked,

"Do you want me to do that with pixie girl?"

"I told you her name's Violet, and no. If you do people might think something's fishy."

"Okay."

"Zachary what else are you good at besides throwing a spear?" Jennifer asked out of the blue.

"That's about it actually." He replied.

"Oh, well… try out everything and maybe you'll find something you're good at."

"Yeah, I will." We ate the rest of our breakfast in silence. I put my hair in a ponytail as we went out the door. I didn't want to curl it since I'd be running and jumping around. It'd just get it the way.

When we got into the training area, I was amazed at just how large it was. The walls were lined with the different stations, and the center held a few more plus a few places to spar with an instructor. All of the tributes were in a line.

"You're thirty fourth in line," Jennifer said.

"Good luck!" With that, we were gently ushered inside and lined up with the others.

Tributes kept trickling in, and a lady came out when everyone was in line.

"First off, congrats on being selected for this year's Hunger Games. Over the next few days, you'll be reviewing important survival skills that could potentially save your life. Remember, no fighting with the other tributes." She then left us to go to whatever station we wanted.

I went over to the fire making station first. It took over half an hour to get a good blaze going. It was quite useful actually, I learned about a bunch of good fire starting materials. Good thing I was patient, a few other tributes got agitated and left before theirs even started to spark!

I got up to go to the knot tying station when suddenly I was hugged from behind. I stiffened in surprise and whipped around.

"Morning babe." Sage said, smirking. What the hell was he doing? He leaned close to me.

"We're supposed to be in love, remember?" He murmured into my ear. Oh yeah… I figured we'd save all that for the arena but… I guess I have to go along with it now.

"Oh… uh good morning to you too." I said.

"You're totally uncomfortable with this, aren't you?" He said with a sigh. His eyes were apologetic.

"Well… not _really_."

"I'm sorry… maybe we should just forget this whole thing."

"No! We can't!" I exclaimed. He looked at me, puzzled.

"And why not?" He asked.

"I-I kind of already told Zachary, my mentor, and my stylist."

"Oh… I've only told Violet."

"And is she okay with this?"

"She laughed actually." His eyes changed emotion again… they seemed more… perplexed. I didn't think he was giving me the whole story… but whatever. It's none of my business.

"So, how's training been going for you?" I asked him.

"Oh… you know… bad."

"How?"

"Well… I kinda messed up big time in front of the careers…"

"Oh… wait, who are the careers?"

"New York, Arizona, North and South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Wyoming, New Jersey, and Washington."

"Great." I said with sarcasm.

"I'm planning on talking to the California girl; do you want to come with me?"

"Sure." He held out his hand and I took it, lacing my fingers through his. We found her easily; she was climbing the huge rock wall.

"Hey! California!" Sage hollered at her. She looked down at us.

"We wanna talk to you, if you'll let us." I called. I thought I saw her nod. She climbed back down and joined us on the ground.

"What about?" She asked, fixing her red ponytail.

"Well, we want to know if you'll join us." Sage said.

"In like an alliance?"

"Exactly." I said.

"I don't know… the boy from my state has been asked to join the careers already…"

"And have you?"

"No…"

"Then they obviously don't want you in. Please just join us, what's your name?"

"Kit."

"What's your weapon?"

"Mace." Okay, that's really weird. How the heck did she begin to like maces? And more importantly where did she get a real one to practice with at home? That's a little creepy. No, that's _really_ creepy!

"Cool." I replied, thinking of nothing else to say.

"I'm still trying to get Colton to convince the careers to let me in though." I'm guessing Colton is the boy from her state.

"Well, would you rather risk a _chance_ at getting in with the careers, or would you like a definite spot in our group? Remember, if you choose waiting for the careers, you're most likely going to be starting the games alone." She nodded.

"I know… okay. I'll join you." I smiled as did Sage.

"Great, that makes five." He said happily.

"Who else is in your guys' alliance?"

"The boy from my state and the girl from his state." I replied. Kit looked at our entwined hands.

"So… I'm guessing you two are like, _together_?" Sage looked at me, a question sparking his gaze. Do we let her in on our lovers act, or do we let her believe what the rest of the nation will? I smiled warmly at him and squeezed his hand. Jeez, this stuff was coming more naturally than I thought.

"Yeah… we've been together almost a year now."

"Aww! That's so cute!" She exclaimed. Her face fell.

"But… that sucks you both got picked…" Sage looked at the ground.

"Yeah… it does…"He replied, his voice gloomy. Wow… even I'd believe _that_ act.

"Are you two eventually going to break your alliance?" I didn't really think about that actually. I hadn't even thought about when I wanted to start going solo.

"No, we're going to stay together until the end." Well I guess Sage just made my mind up for me.

"But… there can only be one victor. I would keep that in mind." She looked back at the rock wall.

"I'm heading back to training. So… I'll meet up with you guys in the arena?"

"Yeah. But just where will we all meet up?" I asked.

"Well, you know the bell of the Cornucopia? We go in that direction until we find each other. Don't go anywhere else." Sage said. I nodded. That was a good plan. That way, we wouldn't spend half a day just trying to find everybody.

"Good idea. Okay, then that's what we'll do. I'll meet up with you then." With that, she began to ascend the rock wall once more.

"Well, where to now?" Sage asked, looking at me.

"I don't care… Jennifer said to go to all of the places we suck at so-"

"I think that's a stupid idea." He said, cutting me off.

"It'll make us look really weak!" I gasped. I'd never thought of that!

"You're right! Okay, then… what about the edible plants one?" The station was a ghost town. Even if we screw up it won't matter.

"Okay, I don't think I'll do too badly at that."

As it turns out, the whole station is just memorizing and a dude holding up flashcards for us… I see why it was empty. It was boring and all of the plants looked the same to me.

"Ugh, that was horrible." I said flatly after we left.

"I know… Hey what about the spear throwing one?" He suggested.

"It looks pretty crowded though."

"Yeah? Well then we'll just have to show them what we're made of." He grinned. Well… if we don't suck then it'll be okay.

We started walking over there but I stopped dead in my tracks. The careers were over there. Sage looked to where I was staring and squeezed my hand.

"Ah… that _is_ a bit of a concern since if we mess up we'll have bright big flashing signs that say 'kill me' on us for the rest of this nightmare. On the other hand, if we do well then they'll treat us with more respect. Your call, I don't care." I thought about the pros and cons for a moment before making my decision. It was risky, but I think it'll be worth it.

"Let's go for it." I said with determination. We started towards the spear throwing station and I picked one of them up as did Sage.

I aimed for the bulls-eye and launched the spear with all my might. It hit close to the center, but I could see other tributes doing much better. That's okay though, I could work with that. I watched Sage throw his spear and my eyes about popped out of their sockets when I saw that he was literally only inches from the center! I gave him a smile and he beamed back at me, even his eyes seemed to radiate happiness. I looked behind him though, and saw trouble. We had caught the careers attention. I got my spear from the target and took a deep, slow breath to calm myself down. This time when I threw it, I got a little closer to the center. I stole a look at the careers. They were talking amongst themselves, occasionally glaring at one of the other tributes. I glanced away quickly when one of them caught me looking at them.

I continued to practice along with Sage until it was time to go back to our rooms. He held my hand when we left, but came out with me at my floor and stopped me in the middle of the hallway that led to my room, looking at me with those beautiful cerulean eyes of his.

Holy crap! Did I just call his eyes _beautiful_? God, I knew I was attracted to him, but that's a little extreme.

Sage took a step closer to me and I took a step back, a little uncomfortable and unsure of what to do. My back was against the wall. How close he was to me was a little unnerving. Our bodies were practically touching.

"S-Sage?" I stutter.

"What are you doing?" His eyes portray a deep kind of emotion that shocks me. It's amazing how expressive his eyes actually are.

"Amber… I-I just… I just want you to know how I feel about you." I avert my eyes from his gaze, suddenly nervous.

Oh God… is he implying what I _think_ he's implying? My heart fluttered in my chest at the thought, which made my mind reel. He shouldn't be getting _that_ kind of reaction from me. Besides; I just can't afford to have _this_ kind of issue in my life right now. Not when I'm about to fight to the death on live TV.

"A-and how _do_ you feel about me?" I was truly afraid of the answer. He doesn't say anything, but tilts my chin up, and kisses me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games!**

* * *

(Sage's P.O.V)

I savored every second of the kiss. She didn't pull away, but I felt her stiffen in surprise. When we broke apart, I stared into her amazing dark brown eyes. They were full of shock and a bit of confusion.

"_That's_ how I feel about you." I breathed. Amber still looked really freaked out.

I suddenly felt really stupid for kissing her. That really was the last thing for us to be focused on when we'd be going into the Games in a few days. That was a stupid thing to do. I moved my hands to her shoulders.

"Sage…" She trailed off, obviously not knowing how to put what she wanted to say to me.

"Sage I-"

"You don't have to say anything… it's okay." I said, cutting her off.

"I'm sorry, I… I let my feelings take over… I'm sorry." I didn't want to stay there any longer and humiliate myself further.

"Goodnight." I stepped back, then abruptly turned away and went briskly into the elevator. The last thing I saw before the doors closed was her speechless face.

I pressed the thirty eight button angrily, still thinking about the mistake I had just made.

She was standing there, so perfect, and so beautiful, in the dim hallway lighting. I _did_ want her to find out how I felt… but… I didn't do it right.

Once I got to my room I slammed the door shut and collapsed into an armchair.

"God! I'm so stupid!" I said angrily to myself, banging my fist on the arm of the chair.

"Sage?" I looked up when I heard Violet's voice from outside the door.

"I heard your door slam, are you okay?"

"Yes… no… I don't know…" I confessed.

"Well can I come in? What happened? Was it the careers?" I sighed.

"You can come in." She opened the door tentatively and closed it softly behind her. She sat at the foot of my bed and looked at me.

"What happened? If it _was_ the careers, just don't let them get to you. Just-"

"It wasn't the careers!" I snapped.

"It's Amber! No, it's me! I blew it big time just a few moments ago! Now, she'll hate me forever!"

"W-why?" Violet obviously didn't think I would snap at her like I did. I was surprised as well; I'm not acting like myself.

"I _kissed_ her!" Violet's eyes portrayed her surprise. She smiled.

"Well you two _are_ supposed to be in love after all, I'm sure a little kiss in the training center won't scar her fo-"

"It wasn't in the training center, and it wasn't little! She might not even want to be in our alliance anymore!" I exclaimed angrily.

"Wait, you mean you weren't acting when you kissed her?!" I shook my head.

"I really messed up…"

"Well… how did she react?"

"She looked at me like a deer caught in headlights." I replied glumly.

"Oh. Then… um… I actually don't know what to tell you Sage. I guess you could try apologizing."

"I know… I will again in the morning… I can't believe I just did that."

"It was just a kiss Sage."

"But she didn't even know I liked her, and then I went and kissed her!"

"Talk to her. Don't lose communication, remember the reason we're here Sage. _I'm_ going to end up dead, but you don't have to. I think you have a shot Sage. Really, I do. Letting Amber go might just be the worst decision you could make." I won't lose Amber; I'll make sure of that. But how could Violet just talk about her death like that with such a nonchalant attitude?! I know _I_ couldn't talk about my death like that!

"You have a good chance too Violet!" I protested. She shook her head sadly.

"I know I'm going to die, and I've accepted it. My only condition is to be remembered when I die. That's why I don't want to go down in the bloodbath."

"You have as much of a chance as I do."

"But if there are only us four left, I want you to kill me." _Kill_ her? No way!

"I won't do that Violet."

"If it comes down to us and we're the final five I want one of you to take me out. I'm not coming out of the arena alive."

"B-but your family! They'll want you to try to stay alive!"

"They don't care about me, I ran away from home. I uh… I was kind of a runaway when the Capital freaks found me."

"Why did you run off?" She looked down.

"I got into a really huge fight with my mom. We started full on screaming at each other… I'd rather not talk about it…" I looked at her sympathetically. How horrible… how alone she must feel.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize… I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay." She looked at me, her hazel eyes boring into mine.

"Please promise me."

She really wanted this… I guess it couldn't hurt to promise her, if she was really serious about it. If someone doesn't want to live, why keep them living if they'd rather be dead?

"Fine. I promise." I replied solemnly.

"Thank you." She suddenly gave a big yawn.

"Tired?"

"Yeah, training completely drained me. I'm glad I did okay though. How did you and Amber do?"

"We both did pretty good too." She nodded.

"Well… I'm going to bed." She got off of my bed and went towards the hall.

"Violet," She turned her head to look at me.

"Thank you." She gave a small smile.

"Anytime." Then she was gone.

I got into my PJs and hit the sack as well.

I thought about what to do about Amber, and decided I would talk to her like Violet suggested. I fell asleep wondering how she would act towards me tomorrow.

…

I woke up to Kylie shaking me.

"Hurry up and get dressed Sage; it's time for another day of training!" He voice was cheery, but her eyes were not. They betrayed how she really felt: Scared, sad, and just overall gloomy. I nodded.

"Alright, what's on the menu for breakfast?" I asked as I threw off my covers.

"Eggs and sausage."

"Cool. Okay, I'll be in the kitchen in about twenty minutes." Kylie nodded and exited my room.

I showered and got ready for the day.

My only focus wasn't on training like it should be. It was focused on Amber. I was truly dreading today. How would she regard me now?

I went down the hall and sat at my place at the table. Three eggs and two sausage patties were there along with a big glass of orange juice. Abbey was cooking and Violet was already eating. Delicious smells came from the food. I started hungrily wolfing it down.

"Where'd Kylie go?" I asked in between mouthfuls.

"Morning sleepyhead. She went to go practice I think." She replied. Violet nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I think she said something about that earlier. You were sleeping."

"Practice for what?"

"Well, she needs to stay warmed up. Her specialty is throwing knives. She's probably in the training area." Abbey said.

"Why would she need to practice? _She's_ not the one who's going to be fighting to the death." Violet was obviously irritated.

"It's just like if you play an instrument. If you practice every day, you'll get better. But if you don't practice for a while, when you go to play again you'll suck. It's the same thing with any type of weapon." Abbey explained.

That made sense to me. Plus with all of the Capital people around, who _wouldn't_ want to sharpen their skills?

"Oh." She muttered, frowning. She looked at me, amused at my now food-stuffed face.

"You _could_ show some manners you know." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay _Effie_." My comment made her smile.

"You two don't need to be in the training center for another twenty minutes, so you have plenty of time to eat." Abbey reminded us. I was already practically finished, but I nodded.

I suddenly realized that I totally forgot to tell Violet Kit was in. Crap!

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you yesterday. The California girl, her name's Kit. She's in the alliance. But, we need to be wary of her I think."

"That's good news. So now there's five of us. But why should we be wary?"

"The boy from her state was accepted by the careers."

"Oh… yeah, we should definitely be careful around her."

"We shouldn't let her keep watch when we sleep." Violet nodded.

"Absolutely not. At least not alone."

After breakfast, we headed down to train some more. We were one of the last ones there.

I scanned the crowd of tributes and saw Amber climbing the rock wall. I got in line and watched her. I would talk to her when she got down. Actually, she was a pretty good climber. A little slow, but speed wasn't everything. When she finally got back I walked towards her. My heart thudded in my ears. Time to face the music.

"Amber!" I called. She turned around. I walked faster to catch up with her.

"Oh… hey…" She said quietly, looking down.

"Can I talk to you? Please?" I urged.

"O-okay."

"Let's go over there," I pointed to a corner that was almost completely shielded from view by a giant column.

"We don't want the others to hear us." She nodded in agreement and we sat down next to each other with our backs against the wall.

"So… I'm guessing you know what it is I want to talk to you about." She nodded, still refusing to look at me.

"First off Amber, I want to apologize again for last night. I want you to know that I'm really, truly, sorry. I completely understand if you don't want to be in our alliance anymore, I-"

"No I do." She replied quickly.

"It's just… I don't know… I guess… I'm just confused." She confessed.

"Confused about what?" There was silence for a few minutes while I waited for an answer from her. Finally she said,

"To be honest… you…" Okay, I wasn't prepared for that at _all_. Her cheeks turned red.

"W-why me?" I stammered.

"Y-you know how I feel about you, w-what makes you confused?"

"Well," She began slowly.

"I'm torn in half on whether or not I return your feelings." She turned even redder. Whoa, wait a minute. Is she serious?! She might like me back?! I didn't know how to reply, so I didn't.

"I really am torn in half." She went on.

"Half of me is telling me to go with my gut, while the other half is telling me to use my head."

"What does your head say?"

"My head says that because I _am_ going into the _Hunger Games_ after all, I can't have relationship related issues on my mind. I have to keep my head in the game."

"But your gut?" I inquired.

"My gut says… that I should follow my heart."

"And which are you leaning towards?" She shook her head.

"I have no clue. I just… I don't want to get into a relationship if I'm going to die."

"You aren't going to die!" I said fiercely.

"I'll protect you."

"Don't do that! I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life if you die that way! I'll feel guilty if you die at all!"

"And I'll feel just as bad if not worse if _you_ die." If she died… I would feel so… so horrible. I'd feel like I'd failed her. I shook my head trying to clear it. I shouldn't be even _thinking_ about things like that.

"I just… it's complicated…" She said, sighing.

"Why are you worried about being in a relationship? You'll be in one with me anyways remember?"

"It's because… because I'm… scared." I tilted her head up so I could see her face, and look into those dark brown eyes of hers. They were suddenly fearful, and I knew why. The only other time I had done that was last night.

"What could you be scared of?" I asked softly. She tried to look down again but I wouldn't let her. Finally she said,

"I'm scared of discovering my feelings for you. I'm afraid to open myself up to you. I'm afraid that if I break down my walls I'll be destroyed emotionally and eventually physically because of it!"

"Then I guess we'll both just have to stay alive. Please Amber." I pleaded.

"It could work."

"I'm just… conflicted." I moved my hand and placed it on her leg comfortingly.

"Even if you don't feel the same way… just know I'll be there, alright?" To my surprise, she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Thank you." She said quietly. Just then Violet popped her head from around the column.

"Hey Lovebirds, you've kinda attracted a little attention from about ten tributes."

"That doesn't bother me." Amber said.

"Me either." I agreed. They can stare all they like; I honestly couldn't give a crap.

"Okay, I just hope you don't mind being stared at like a two headed snake." She replied plainly before resuming doing whatever she was doing. Amber's head was still on my shoulder. But was it a friendly gesture, or was it something more? Does she even know herself?

"Amber, where's the boy from your state?"

"Oh I don't know, probably the fire making station or something." She replied.

"We should probably start training as well." I said.

"I know… but Sage, I want you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

"If… if I don't come out of this, promise me you won't blame yourself."

"I already told you, your death would kill me inside a thousand times over. I don't want to lose you."

"And I don't want to lose you either…" she said quietly.

"But Sage, please. I don't want you to feel guilty." I shook my head.

"It will happen whether or not I want it to Amber."

"Please Sage. Please promise me." She looked up at me and I lost myself in her pleading brown eyes. I wanted so badly to kiss her, to hold her, to comfort her. But I've learned from experience, and I know that that would just make a big mess of things.

"Okay, I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, i'm back! I'm SO sorry for not updating! I promise i'll start putting up chapters sooner!**

**Now some of you might not know what VERY special day this is, so i'll tell you. Today, October 12th, is Josh Hutcherson's 20th birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES!**

* * *

(Amber's P.O.V)

I smiled at him and sighed.

"Good, now I have one less thing to worry about."

One thing was still eating me up alive though: _Do_ I want to be with him or not? It _should_ be a simple yes or no, but… it just isn't. Mostly because I'm probably going to die.

I spoke the truth when I told him I was torn. I'm worried about one of us getting hurt by the other's death… but I just can't understand why. If Zachary died I would feel sad, and maybe mourn him a little bit… but if it was Sage… if it was Sage I don't know what I'd do… but just _why_ is that?

Last night's kiss sent butterflies into my stomach again as I thought about it. He had completely thrown me for a loop, and I'm sure my surprise showed on my face. I was really just so bewildered by him that I couldn't even say anything. That and the fact that the kiss basically shorted out my brain probably made me look like an idiot.

No… this just can't happen. I can't fall for him, I _can't_.

"Amber, do you like me, or not?" God… that was the question I was dreading. I _was_ attracted to him. _That_ I was certain of. But whether or not I act upon the feelings I get from that attraction is the real question here. I _do_ like him… but… I _can't_. If I let him into my life in that way, I _will_ get hurt. It's inevitable.

"Amber?" Sage touched my cheek lightly and turned my face towards his.

"Please give me an answer…" His face was very close to mine, and that instantly made warning flags go up in my head. Is he going to kiss me again? His eyes were pleading, but I sensed a deeper emotion in them. Despite how uncomfortable I was with his face being this close to mine, I didn't move.

God! Half of me says one thing, and the other half says the complete opposite. So what do I tell him? I don't want to go through a bunch of heartache while in the Hunger Games, that would basically be a death sentence. But at the same time… I also _want_ to be with him.

When I finally spoke, my voice sounded small, and unlike its usual self.

"I do… but I can't…" He looked at me almost sorrowfully.

"It _can_ work, it can. If we're going to die, shouldn't we at least have _something_ enjoyable in our last few days of life?"

"I don't want one of us to be destroyed by the other's death! That would be basically pinning on a bright neon sign that says 'kill me' on it!"

"I would be destroyed by your death anyways Amber, but would you feel the same way if _I_ died?" Sage's death _would_ be horrible for me… but _why_? That's the million dollar question right there. I mean I've known the dude for only a few days! But, despite everything that should and shouldn't be happening, I say,

"Yes."

"Then why worry about what we would feel about the other's death? What's the point? Those feelings would still be there, even if we aren't actually together." He _did_ have a point there… ugh! That half of me was protesting violently, thrashing about throwing all sorts of things into my head about why I couldn't be with him. What scared me though, is that I felt a flicker of hope, and I knew exactly why. I _could_ be with him, he was right, it _could_ work out… for a little while at least…

No! What was I thinking? I can't be like that with him for real! We can do the whole lovers act, but no; I can't have those feeling for him for real. I looked at him in despair. God… I feel like I'm waging a freaking war inside my head!

"Plus," He added.

"We'll have to fake loving each other anyways so why not do it for real?"

"Sage… I just don't know." After a long drawn out silence he said,

"Well, maybe _this_ will help you decide." Before my brain could even begin to comprehend what he was about to do, he put his lips on mine.

I didn't know what the heck to do! One half of me wanted to get him the hell away from me, but the other half wanted me to move even closer to him.

The kiss made my heart skip a beat, and now it was drumming loudly in my ears as he placed one of his hands on my back.

We broke apart, and I saw all of the conflict going on in his head. It all showed through his eyes…those stunning cerulean eyes…

"I-I did it again!" He spat angrily, most likely to himself.

"Amber… I'm so sorry…" He got up and stood, about to walk away.

"No wait!" I said urgently, standing as well and gripping his arm. His eyes showed a lot of pain, and I could see how upset he was with himself.

The half of me that's sensible, the one that I _should_ and have been following, is freaked out and trying to get a grip on the scene that just happened. But the other half, the half that wants him, is rejoicing … and… maybe I should give in to the other half… it's the _Hunger Games_, in no _way_ is it sensible! Sage… Sage might be right. And… and if these are my last few days alive… why _not_ be happy? Well, as happy as one could be while fighting to the death that is… But why should I torture myself debating this? Here was this incredibly good looking, nice, charming guy, and he _likes_ me! Why should I continue debating with myself if I know the answer? Why should I let my fear of losing him control my actions?

"Amber, I really am sorry. I came to talk to you in the first place to apologize, and now I've just done it again. I'm sorry. I just… I have to get back to training. We both do." I kept a firm hold on his arm, refusing to let him leave.

"No Sage. _I'm_ sorry." I said softly. He looked at me, puzzled.

"What? why?"

"For not seeing what's in front of me." Before I had a chance to rethink, I threw my arms around him. He stiffened at my sudden embrace, obviously shocked. He cautiously returned my hug, placing his hands on my back. I buried my head in his chest, not saying anything. We stood like that for a long time, before Sage finally pulled away.

"We really should start training." I nodded. Sage took my hand and we left our little corner. That's when I noticed how much attention we'd attracted. About twenty of the tributes kept glancing at us, not thinking we noticed.

"What should we hit first?" I asked.

"Hmm… well how about knives?"

"Yeah… but that's basically the same as spears. What about camouflage?" I suggested.

"Good idea." He agreed. Only about five tributes were there, so there was enough room at the large cafeteria tables used to practice.

Once we got there, I decided to try to make my arm into a basic forest floor. Sage wanted to try to make his arm into a rock slab.

I honestly tried my best but my finished product looked like a bunch of broccoli threw up on my arm. I looked over to see how Sage was doing, and his didn't look much better. I grinned at how hard he was concentrating, but obviously not getting anywhere. He noticed my amused expression and smirked back at me.

"Oh, you think it's funny?" He said playfully.

"Just observing." I replied.

"Then observe this!" He quickly dabbed his finger in the gray paint and tapped my nose, leaving a big gray dot in the center of it.

"Oh no you didn't!" I screeched with a laugh. I took one of the paintbrushes I was using and drew a black slash across his cheek.

"Oh, it's on now!" We went back and forth, painting all over each other, laughing our butts off in the process while the other tributes there looked at us like we'd officially gone crazy.

"What the _hell_ are you two doing?" I whipped my head around as soon as I heard Jennifer's voice. She was stalking up angrily towards us.

"You know you two _ruined_ your training outfits! Jamie will be working all night to get a new one for you Amber! And Sage, Abbey will have just as much trouble!" She scolded. I looked down at my training uniform and sure enough, it was _covered_ in green, gray, black, and brown streaks. My hands were also covered in paint so I'm sure my face was just as bad.

"Sorry," Sage said sheepishly, whose training outfit as well as his face and some of his hair was also splotched with various colors.

"I'm the one who started it." She glared daggers at both of us.

"Well I'm finishing it!" She sighed.

"You'll both need to go back early to take those off." I nodded and we followed her out of the training center and into the elevator. Since Sage was four floors above us, we got off first. Before I left though he caught my arm.

"Can I see you tonight?" He whispered softly in my ear. I nodded, smiling at him. He smiled back.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Jennifer went off in a rant.

"What were you _thinking _Amber? You've made yourself _and_ me look bad, as well as Sage!"

"Sorry." I mumbled, looking at the floor.

"I know you both are dead set on the lovers thing, but that move was risky. You can do a few small things, but not something like that. You've wasted the whole day! The Gamemakers won't let you wear anything other than that training uniform and you've ruined it! And speaking of the Gamemakers, they saw that little trick you pulled! I know you want to act all lovey dovey, but-"

"We weren't acting!" I blurted, cutting her off. She stared at me like I'd grown an extra head or something.

"What?"

"I said we weren't acting! That was real! We didn't plan it, it just happened!" She sighed again.

"Great. Just great. Have you done anything else that might be humiliating?"

"No. I mean some of the tributes have stared at us, but I don't think the Gamemakers noticed."

"Why did they stare at you?"

"Well… because Sage and I spent a long time sitting and talking today instead of training."

"You _what_!" Anger flashed in her eyes.

"Are you serious? You wasted a day _talking _and _playing _instead of training? I'll bet you didn't get one minute of training in today, did you."

"It was important!" I said defending myself.

"Uh huh. Yeah, what could _possibly_ be more important than the training that could be the difference between life and death for you?" Ah great… well this is definitely turning into one hell of a mess…

"We, uh… we discussed strategy." It was a lame excuse, but oh well. She saw right past my lie like I figured she would.

"Okay, now tell me the real reason."

"We… talked about things…"

"About what?"

"It's none of your business!" I snapped.

"You've made it my business since you pulled that little stunt!" She shot back.

"It wasn't a stunt! We were just having a little fun!"

"Yeah, and it cost all of us!"

"I don't see what the big issue is! You're overreacting!" Jennifer sighed and shook her head.

"I don't want to argue again, just go get changed and give me your uniform." I nodded and went into my room to change. I put on a white t-shirt and some shorts, and then lied down on my bed, thinking about today, and what it meant.

Okay. So, I'm going to go into the Hunger Games, and I have to be in love with Sage. It won't be hard, but I _will_ have to exaggerate how I feel. I'm not at the 'fallen head over heels in love' point yet, but I think I might be headed in that direction. That kind of scares me a tad…

Before I even realized I was tired, I was fast asleep.

…

I woke up to Zacchary prodding my shoulder.

"Dude, you've been out for like, the whole day. Jennifer and Jamie wanted me to wake you, it's dinnertime." I yawned. Had I really been asleep for that long? Crap. Now I won't get any sleep tonight and I'll be pooped for training tomorrow.

"Okay," I replied, rubbing my eyes.

"I'll be there in a sec." He nodded and left my room. I sat up and stretched, then wandered into the kitchen and wondered what the wonderful smells were. I sat at the table where Jennifer and Zachary were already seated, and was soon served a plate of grilled chicken and mashed potatoes, along with a tall glass of milk.

"Thanks," I said, immediately taking a bite.

"So Amber," Zachary said, getting my attention.

"Why did you have to leave training early today? I didn't see you leave, but I didn't see you around and then Kit said that you left."

"Oh, that. Sage and I got a little carried away with the paint at the camouflage station."

"Yes, and it's taking forever to get the stains out!" Jamie said. I smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Jamie."

"It's alright, they're coming out. It'll be ready for you in the morning." I nodded gratefully.

"Thank you." I looked at Jennifer.

"How would you like us to be in the interviews? They're only two days away now, so we need a plan of action." She looked thoughtfully for a few moments before answering.

"I want you to be in love with Sage obviously. Now, you'll say that when you met him, y-"

"Sage and I already worked that all out. I meant besides that."

"Oh… well then come out as the brave, daring type. Your personality should come in handy. And Zachary," She turned to him.

"You need to be the quiet, strong type." We both nodded. The rest of dinner was spent in silence, with all of our thoughts directed on the games, the interviews, and what other nightmares might await us.

…

I was pacing the living room, my thoughts restless. Zachary and the others went to sleep about an hour ago, but I couldn't. Plus Sage was going to be here soon. Sure enough, I heard a very light tap on my door. I opened it and Sage was there smiling in my doorway. He pulled me into a hug.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey." I whispered back.

"I thought of something while just lying around today. What if we need to communicate about things the Capital and the rest of the nation can't hear about?"

"Ah… that _is_ a problem… You can come in; the others went to bed a while ago." He nodded and I sat on the couch next to him.

"So… I've been thinking about how to fix our little problem, but nothing is coming to mind. Do you think you could come up with something?" He asked. I nodded.

"Sure, I'll take a whack at it." I thought about it. We could use different vocalizations to mean different things… no. People would figure that out easily. Maybe we could make up our own language, that way no one would be able to know what we're saying… no… that could be figured out just as easily… wait! Sign language! Perfect!

"Sign Language!" I whispered excitedly.

"Great! But… loads of people could decipher sign language though." Crap. He had a point. Suddenly a plan came to my mind.

"We pretend to sleep and we can communicate then! The cameras won't be able to see us in the dark!"

"Yes but how would we be able to know what the other is saying if we can't see?"

"We form the signs using each other's hands! That way we could pretend to sleep but still talk!"

"Awesome! I knew you could think of something!" He frowned.

"But there's another problem… I don't know a thing about sign language."

"Good thing I do." Thank God for me taking sign language in school! For once what I learn in one of my classes at school is _literally_ going to be a life saver!

"I can teach you." I offered.

"Could you please?"

"Of course. Okay, so this is 'A'." I showed him the sign with my hand. We went through each letter several times before Sage got some of them down.

"Maybe we can work on it more in training tomorrow." He said.

"Yeah, I think we'll have to. Hey has your mentor talked to you about interviews?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm supposed to basically tell the interviewer how in love I am with you, and say that I'd willingly fight to the death a million times to keep you safe."

"That seems good." I say, nodding in approval. Suddenly, I heard the sounds of footsteps coming closer and closer to us from down the hall.

"Crap! Why the hell is someone up?!" I hissed angrily, keeping my voice low. I looked around frantically.

"Uh… hide behind the curtains!" Sage nodded and scampered behind the lush tan curtains that hung beside the big window. I saw Zachary come in.

"Can't sleep?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Me either… what are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I shot back.

"I asked you first." Darn it, he got me.

"I'm going through strategies, what are _you_ doing?"

"I was just going to get some water." He got out a cup and drank some water from the sink.

"Well… even though I can't sleep, I think I'll go lie back down. You know, to conserve energy at least." I nodded, dying for him to leave. When I heard his door shut I went to get Sage.

"That was close." He commented quietly.

"Too close." I agreed.

"I'd better go."

"That seems like a good idea. I don't want him to come out again and see you." I walked him to the door.

"Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, see you in the morning." He hugged me and kissed my forehand lightly, which sent butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. I closed the door behind him and sat back down where I was, not wanting to fall asleep. Unfortunately I felt my eyelids drooping, and I dozed off on the couch, thinking about Sage, and the hell we'd have to endure in just a few days' time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay guys, I have done something that I thought would be utterly impossible... I've gotten my grandparents to watch The Hunger Games! They didn't even fall asleep once during the whole thing! They said it was one of the best movies they'd seen in years and that they can't wait for the next one!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games!**

* * *

(Sage's P.O.V)

"Sage! Get up! You have to get ready for the last day of training!" Violet practically screamed into my ear, making me shoot out of bed.

"Hallelujah, he's alive!" She hollered to no one in particular.

"Jeez!" I exclaimed, trying to get my heartbeat under control. "Are you _trying_ to kill me?" She smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, but I've been trying to wake you for the past fifteen minutes."

That was unusual for me; I'm usually a very light sleeper… I guess it was staying up with Amber last night.

All of those signs had made my brain hurt! How on earth did she memorize them all? I could only figure out five of them, and in just a few days I'll need to know all twenty six! I yawned and went to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

Once I was ready and had my uniform on, I grabbed an energy bar and headed out the door with Violet.

"I saw you and Amber yesterday. I take it that means she forgave you or something?" I nodded and grinned.

"Hey, that's good news!" She replied. "But, have you seen Kit doing much during training? I've only seen her at that stupid rock wall."

"Me too, I don't think she's done much else. She's pretty good at climbing, maybe her mentor told her to only go to the stations she's good at." Violet nodded.

"I want to try the animal riding station today. The others haven't given it much attention, so I thought I'd give it a whirl."

"You know how to ride a horse?" She shook her head with a smile.

"Nope! Better late than never I guess." I snorted with laughter.

"You'll fall on your butt!"

"I bet you I won't!"

"I bet you will!"

"You're on. If I stay on the horse, you've gotta… you've gotta…" Oh please don't make it embarrassing! Suddenly her eyes lit up and she smirked deviously.

"You've gotta make out with Amber in the middle of the training center in front of everyone!" I groaned. I wouldn't mind if it wasn't in front of over a hundred other people!

"Could you pick something a little less… personal?"

"Nope, that's the deal. Take it or leave it." I sighed.

"But if you fall off just one time… you've gotta kiss the Kansas boy, Zachary." Violet immediately wrinkled her nose in apparent disgust.

"Eww, no! Please not him!" I smirked.

"Nope, that's the deal. Take it or leave it." I replied, mimicking her.

"Fine." She agreed reluctantly. I stuck out my hand and she shook it.

"It's a deal."

As soon as I got in the training center Amber came up to me, a smile spread across her face.

"Morning!" She said happily. I took her hand.

"Morning, how'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good. That is, after I actually _went_ to sleep."

"Yeah, had trouble falling asleep as well."

"Hey Sage, ready to lose?" Violet said, a challenge burning in her eyes. Amber looked at me, puzzled.

"Lose what?" She asked, obviously puzzled.

"He made a bet with me," Violet explained. "If he wins and I fall off a horse at the animal riding station, I have to kiss Zachary. If _I_ win though, he's gotta make out with you in front of everyone."

"_What_!" Amber looked at me with a mix of fear and anger. "Why'd you agree to _that_?"

"Because I'm going to win." I hoped I sounded as confident as I tried to sound.

"You'd better; I don't want to be turned into a freak show for the Gamemakers and everyone else to stare at." I squeezed her hand.

"I know, don't worry." We followed Violet to the animal riding station. It was a huge corral with a dirt floor. Behind it were the doors that led out to the stables which held the horses. The instructor was just grooming one of the horses since there wasn't anyone there.

"Uh, hey lady!" Violet called. She turned around.

"I'd uh, like to ride one of the horses." The instructor's face lit up.

"Sure. Just go back and grab the one you want. Put the bridle and saddle on and everything, then come out here." She looked delighted to have someone at her station.

"Okay, thank you." We followed Violet to the stables. There were about twenty stalls on each side of the long building.

The horses were of all sizes and colors. Amber was fascinated by them all.

"You like horses a lot I'm guessing?" I asked. She nodded enthusiastically.

"I love them! I took riding lessons back home." Suddenly there was a loud bellow and snort from one of the stalls, along with a crashing noise. The sound of hooves stomping echoed through the building.

I had no idea what made the sounds. The rest of the horses were all relaxed and were either eating or just standing there looking at us. Amber made a beeline for one of the stalls. The sounds kept on going, and kinda freaked me out a little.

"Hey wait!" Violet and I ran after her. She stopped at the very last stall on the left side with her eyes wide.

"What is it?" I caught up to her and looked into the stall. A truly magnificent stallion was in it.

This mighty horse was white underneath the black patches that were all over his entire body. His mane was white except for a single black streak that ran through it, and his tail was pure white. His eyes were a startling icy blue. I looked at the name on the nametag. It read 'Storm'.

Storm thrashed about, crashing into the stall wall beside him repeatedly. He tossed his head about, and at one point reared up on his hind legs.

"Oh wow…" Violet breathed. "That horse is beautiful!"

"You can say that again." Amber said. She seemed transfixed by this marvelous animal. "This horse is the prettiest one I've ever seen."

"I want to ride him!" Violet declared with determination. Amber whipped around.

"No! You can't! He's wild! See? He has a sign, plus anyone can see that he's a wild horse. He's scared of people still. And they must've just gotten him; he has a doctor's note on his stall door." Sure enough, when I checked I saw both of those things. The first one read, 'Dangerous horse, do not ride' in red letters. The doctor's note had a list of vaccinations he had been given and things like that plus a little note under the comments box. It read, 'Good, strong six year old, but very fearful and very untrustworthy. He will be quite a problem since he kicks every human to cross his path, but overall he is in good physical condition'.

"Oh… darn it, he's so pretty!" Violet complained.

"Looks aren't everything." Amber replied, still looking at the horse. Violet went off, probably in search of another horse, but Amber stayed by this horse's side. He was still thrashing around, and had spilled his water bucket all over the straw ridden floor.

"Poor Storm." She said sadly. Suddenly a new fire came into her eyes.

"I'm going to ride him in front of the Gamemakers."

"What? No, you'll get hurt!" I exclaimed. "What part of 'dangerous horse' don't you understand?"

"I know how to deal with these kinds of horses."

"You mean you've ridden something that dangerous before?"

"Yup."

"But didn't you get thrown off?"

"Oh yeah, all the time."

"But you can't do that in front of the Gamemakers!"

"I won't… oh, and I think I'll ride him without a saddle too. It'll be more impressive that way."

"Absolutely not, I forbid it." I replied protectively. No _way_ was I letting her risk getting her skull bashed in by that horse. She put her hand on my arm.

"It's fine. I hardly fall off anymore. Plus if I do, they can't blame me. After all he _is_ a dangerous horse."

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't get hurt, I can do this." She looked at me.

"Maybe I can sneak into the stables to spend time with him tonight so he can get used to me."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"All I'm doing is petting a horse. I'm not using weapons or anything. As long as I don't ride him, it's fine."

"Hey Amber!" Violet called.

"Sorry for interrupting Lovebirds, but I kinda need some help here. I don't even know what stuff to use to saddle this horse up, and I don't know how to use the stuff either." We went over to help her get all of the things she needed. I helped carry the saddle and followed Violet to a chestnut colored horse named Abe.

"Is this horse a good choice Amber?" Violet asked. Amber nodded approvingly.

"Yes, he appears to be very laid back. This one is much better." Violet helped Amber put on all of the accessories needed for riding.

"Remember our bet Sage?" Violet asked with a smirk. I nodded.

"Yep."After the horse was ready to go, Amber handed the reins to Violet.

"Lead him in now." She nodded and grabbed the reins. We went outside of the corral to watch her. The instructor told her to move to the middle of the circle. You could tell Violet was nervous.

"Okay, now get on the horse." The instructor said. Violet put a foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself up and onto the saddle.

"Good, now start off giving him a kick and go at a walk." Violet kicked hard and Abe took off at lightning speed. He raced around wildly while Violet yanked hard on the reins trying to get him under control. I heard Amber chuckle and looked at her.

"She kicked way too hard." She explained.

The instructor shouted orders at Violet, trying to tell her how to get the horse to slow down. Suddenly, Abe began to buck, making Violet thrash about in the saddle like a ragdoll. Amber sighed in what appeared to be relief.

"Well, this is working out better than I thought." She commented.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She looked at me with a guilty expression.

"Well… it kinda said on Abe's stall door that he has a tendency to buck…"

"You mean you told Violet that Abe was a great choice even though you knew he would throw her off?!"

"Yeah… but in my defense, you shouldn't have made a bet that involved me!" We both watched as Violet was sent crashing to the ground, then raced into the corral.

"What happened?" I asked, knowing exactly what was wrong.

"That crazy horse went insane!" Violet replied, flustered.

"Are you okay though?" Amber asked anxiously.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I think I'll get a different horse though."

"That's probably a smart choice." Amber agreed. I waited outside the pen while Amber helped Violet get a new horse. They came back with a little black horse.

"Hey Violet, guess what?" I hollered with a smirk as Amber made her way back to me from across the enclosure.

"What?" She called back.

"You lost!" Fear shone in her eyes.

"Alright, try it again. The instructor ordered. Violet nodded and gave a tentative kick to the new horse. It began to walk slowly around the ring.

"Good job." The instructor said after a while. "Do you want to try cantering?"

"Uh, no."

"We should go train." Amber said. I nodded.

"Yeah, you'd better not get paint on me!" She rolled her eyes.

We spent the rest of the day sparring with different instructors, using different weapons, and learning different skills. Amber spent about an hour and a half practicing sign language with me in our corner, and when it was finally time to go back I was officially wiped out. I held onto her hand on the way to the elevator. Once we were in, Violet asked,

"So Lovebirds, what are you guys doing for the Gamemakers?"

"I'm going to ride one of the horses and shoot arrows at stuff." Amber said.

"Cool, I'll probably chuck knives. What about you Sage?" Violet asked, looking at me. I honestly hadn't even thought about it.

"Well… if they have a crossbow, I'll use that. Do they even have that?" I hadn't so much as glanced at the archery section.

"They do. I saw one when I tried using a bow. I completely sucked, and that's putting it lightly!" Violet replied with a laugh. The elevator stopped on Amber and Zachary's floor and opened the doors. Zachary walked out immediately but I pulled Amber into a tight hug and kissed her forehead, refusing to let her leave right away.

"Aww!" Violet cried.

"Shut up." I replied, smiling. To Amber I said,

"I'll come by tomorrow after the interviews." She nodded and we both let go of each other reluctantly. She gave a little wave to me and that was all I saw of her before the doors closed.

"You two are so cute!" Violet exclaimed.

"Ah shut it. Hey, you still haven't kissed Zachary." Her face turned white. I almost burst out laughing at the sight of her.

You know now that I think about it, her kissing him would just create a world of problems for everyone… maybe I should just forget it even though it would be hilarious. It would just turn out to be really awkward for all of us.

"Do I really have to?" I shook my head, grinning.

"No, your face just about made up for it!" She punched me lightly in the arm, but I could tell she was relieved. When we got back to our place, I ate a quick dinner, and hit the sack. Tomorrow, I would have to prove my worth to the Gamemakers… plus there's the interviews… yuck. If I just stick to the plan, I should be alright. I have to try my best.

My thoughts turned to Amber as I was drifting off. How would she do tomorrow? Would the Gamemakers give her a good score? Would she hurt herself trying to ride that horse? Her confidence and determination didn't soothe me much. And would the Capital like her during the interviews? If they don't, it could be detrimental…

* * *

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Now, I want y'all to know that in this chapter Amber will preform in front of the Gamemakers and do all sorts of fancy stuff with Storm. And well, since I'm not a wild horse expert, though that would be pretty awesome, some of the stuff in this chapter could be pretty inaccurate. If I am even remotely close to how to calm down an actual wild horse, I'll be happy. However, I could also be so inaccurate it's laughable. Oh well, I hope you all enjoy the chapter anyways!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, my brain did not come up with The Hunger Games.**

* * *

(Amber's P.O.V)

I finally got up and out of bed at around noon. I didn't have to bet in the training hall until four. That was my designated time to flaunt my skills in front of the Gamemakers.

As soon as I saw Storm, the wheels in my head had started turning. Thank God I took riding lessons! Otherwise, my 'show' wouldn't be as impressive. My plan is this: I will lead Storm out without a saddle or halter or anything, and then I'll grab a bow along with a quiver of arrows and purposely leave the gate open. Next I'll get on Storm and hopefully calm him down. After that I'll ride him and make him jump over tables and stuff while I shoot at dummies and other things. It will be great if I manage to pull it off. If it doesn't work then I'll be screwed, so hopefully I won't make a fool out of myself.

I got into the stables last night and rummaged through all of the feed and treats until I found something he likes. As it turns out, he's addicted to sugar cubes! He warmed up to me pretty quickly after I found a sack of them. I even got to the point of where I could go into his stall at touch him.

He's still deathly afraid of people, but I think me being in there until about three in the morning talking to him and petting him made him like me. At first though, boy he started fussing and kicking like crazy. But hey, the way to any animal is through its stomach right? That sure proved to be true with him.

I went into the kitchen and got an apple to eat.

"So, you're finally back from hibernation? Jeez, I thought you'd sleep all day!" Zachary commented with an amused expression. He was sitting on the couch reading something.

"Yeah, I am. What time are the prep teams going to start working on us?"

"Oh, I imagine it'll be in about half an hour after we finish our little 'presentations'." I took a chunk out of my apple.

"So what are you reading?" I went over and sat next to him.

"It's an article on the Hunger Games. We aren't supposed to be reading it, but Jennifer got it for us. It's all about how the nation is reacting, and how we were selected, and stuff about Gamemakers and things like that. Your dad's even in it." My Dad… a subject I couldn't bring up. When I could speak again, my voice wavered.

"Can I see it?" He handed it to me and I began to read the article. It read:

The Hunger Games: The Masterpiece Brought to Life

The Hunger Games is now coming to life, and we aren't meaning in theaters! The actual Games are going to become a real event hosted in America! The wonderful corporation Gamemakers has been developing the technology needed for the Games, and two tributes have been selected from each state, making there a total of a whopping one _hundred_ tributes!

There has been quite a commotion from the public, and protests have been launched all around the country to stop this event from happening. Gamemakers however is standing strong, and will not back down. The Games will happen at around this time every year, and citizens will actually be able to watch the Games as they progress, as the president announced earlier in the week.

We have tried to contact some of the tributes' families, but they have refused to discuss the matter with us. One of them though, the parent of young Kansas tribute Amber Jackson, has said that he prays every night for her safe return home, and that he wishes he could speak to her one last time before the Games take place.

Gamemakers will not allow any contact from parents or any other family or friends mainly because they need the tributes to be focused and training hard. The founder and president of Gamemakers Darren Millstone has elaborated on this vivid topic for us.

"Oh of course people are angry," He scoffed. "If my child were to be stolen from me for this I would be upset as well. However, I believe we need to look past our own selfish wants, and try to think of this as the youth of America serving their country."

There have been many questions related to the Games, and we were able to catch up with co-founder Charles Baskin for answers.

"Something we get asked a lot is, 'why don't you accept volunteers?' This is because we want the Games to be as exciting and dramatic as possible, and we can't have little twelve year olds who can't even throw a knife to be in there. It wouldn't make good TV. Another question we get asked frequently is, 'why don't you just have a reaping?' This is also just because we want to give the public the best possible show, as it so deserves. If we have unskilled tributes, they'll be killed almost instantly. The way we do it, the Games will be much better."

Through the multitude of protests, the Games _are_ indeed going to happen, and just as Charles has said, they _will_ be exciting.

"This makes me sick!" I exclaimed with disgust. I couldn't even eat any more of my apple; I got up and threw it away, along with the article.

The article nauseated me, how could Gamemakers honestly be so vile and cruel? What really broke me down though was the little blurb about my father.

I had refrained from even thinking about him, as I'm sure most of the others have done. But now, I can't keep him out of my mind. I'll never see him again… I won't ever get to say goodbye to him when he leaves for work, I'll never be able to make him breakfast on fathers' day again, I'll never be able tell him I love him again…

I didn't realize I was crying until I brushed my hair from my face and I found that it was wet. Zachary was at my side in a flash and he gave me a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry, I should've realized that letting you see it would be a bad idea… it's because of your father, isn't it…" he sighed. "I'm sorry Amber. I've cried over my parents too, believe it or not… but it's okay for you, because you can win. You have the skills and the smarts to do it, I know you do." I didn't say anything, but cried on his shoulder until I had no more tears left to shed. He was still holding me when Jennifer told us to go down to wait for our names to be called.

"Are you okay Amber? You can't be crying right before this." I wiped my eyes.

"I'm fine…" She looked at me, concerned.

"You sure?"

"Very." I said with determination.

Zachary and I went to the entrance of the Training Center and sat down, waiting for our names to be called. Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, I heard,

"Amber Jackson." Called over the loudspeaker. I got up, my heart pounding like crazy. Just as I was about to go in, Zachary spoke up.

"Amber," I turned my head.

"Shoot straight." I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"Thanks _Peeta_." I took in a shaky breath, and entered the huge room. The big doors shut behind me. As I walked to where the Gamemakers were situated, I realized just how giant the room actually was. It made me feel incredibly tiny being in there all by myself. I stood as tall and proud as possible when I faced the Gamemakers. I saw Darren; he was looking at a clipboard.

"Ah yes. Little miss Jackson. Please carry on." He said, then looked up and gave me a grin. I nodded and went to the stables immediately. I got some sugar cubes, and went over to Storm. When he saw me, he snorted loudly and stomped his feet. It was a drastic change from yesterday.

"It's okay Storm," I whispered soothingly to him. Very slowly, I opened the stall door and held out a sugar cube. Storm instantly went for the treat. I started to pet his cheek and neck.

"There, good boy. Now you're gonna help me put on a little show, okay?" I gave him one last pat before moving back and holding out another cube. He came forward to me slowly and tentatively. When he got close, instead of giving the tiny cube of sugar to him I kept backing up. Once he was in the corral, I swiftly closed the door so he couldn't go back into the stables. Storm was scared, it was obvious.

"Shh, it's okay Storm. It's okay." I soothed, giving him another sugar cube. I slowly went to the gate and opened it to get my bow. I went to the archery station and got a bow and a quiver of arrows, then returned to Storm. I made sure to glance at the Gamemakers. They all seemed intrigued but some looked skeptical. I'm sure when they got their horses they knew that Storm was wild. I don't think they expect me to ride him, and especially bareback _and_ while wielding a bow.

I swung both items over my shoulder so I could get on Storm. I gave him another cube, and pet him some more.

"It's okay buddy. I'm going to try to ride you okay? It's okay." I prayed that he wouldn't take off. I needed this to go well.

I hoisted myself onto Storm, and that horse took off like a rocket! He bucked and thrashed like there was no tomorrow. I didn't have a saddle, so I was basically hanging on for dear life while he whirled around like a psychopath. I grabbed his mane with both hands while he was tossing be about on him like I was a ragdoll. God… this was harder than I thought. I could hear some of the Gamemakers laughing loudly.

"It's okay Storm." I said softly, petting a section of his neck with a finger. He was about through with bucking, and now he was just racing around the corral. He hadn't yet figured out that the gate was open.

"Storm, calm down." I tried to keep my voice steady even though he was giving me a bone jarring ride. Suddenly he stopped dead and my face almost collided with the back of his skull as I was lurched forward. I took this chance to get out a sugar cube and toss it to the ground. Thankfully, Storm saw it and bent down to eat it up. I stroked his neck while murmuring soothing words to him. His sides were heaving, and I could tell that he had worn himself out. Perfect. I gave him one more sugar cube, and when his breathing had become more regular, I very gently kicked his sides. This sent him racing around again in a panic.

"Whoa!" I yelled forcefully while yanking his mane.

"Whoa!" Storm snorted loudly, but when I yanked harder, he slowed a little. He was still going dangerously fast, but I was still grateful that he was going at least a tiny bit slower than he had been.

"Good boy Storm, good boy." I tossed another cube for him. Okay everyone… show time! Was this incredibly risky? Yes. Could it end badly? Yes. But, is it a risk I'm willing to take? Yes.

"Alright, let's do this." I took the bow in one hand and tightened my hold on him. Storm's running was thankfully smoother. His running wasn't frantic and jerky anymore, but was rather elegant. He ran straight for one of the sword racks… _perfect_. I kicked him harder when I felt him slowing down, and one question came into the front of my mind in a flash: Will he jump it, or will I be sent flying over his head? I sure hoped it was the first option… I kicked even harder, and loaded my bow, locating a dummy about fifty feet away. Now I was relying on only my legs for staying on Storm.

With a mighty leap, he jumped. As we were going through the air, I aimed and sent my arrow flying through the heart of the dummy. It hit its mark, thank God.

I wheeled Storm around and focused on getting more dummies. I hit three more while riding. One through the heart, one in the eye, and one through the throat. I slowed him and hopped off, patting his neck. I used a sugar cube to get him back to his stall.

"Thank you." I whispered before shutting the door. I threw him one last sugar cube, and went back out. I practiced some more using the bow, and I felt so… at ease. I could just concentrate on my target, and let all my troubles slip away.

"Alright, thank you miss Jackson." Darren boomed.

"You may put up the bow and go." I nodded and put the weapon back. Without giving them so much as a glance, I walked out of the Training Center smirking to myself. I really did do good.

"I'm guessing you did well?" Zachary asked when I passed him.

"Yep!" I replied happily. He nodded.

"Good."

"Zachary Veil." The loudspeaker said. He sighed.

"Crap… I'm gonna suck…"

"Just stay calm, you'll do great." I said encouragingly.

"I sure hope so." He replied nervously before stepping inside the Training Center.

I headed up to my room, feeling pretty good about myself. I had preformed to the best of my ability, and I got to use a bow again. The beginning was a little rocky I have to admit, but after that it was pretty good… I just hope the Gamemakers realize just how hard it was to control that crazy horse.

Jennifer was reading the article on the Games I had been reading earlier; she must've gotten it back out of the garbage. Jamie was nowhere to be found. She looked up when I entered.

"How'd it go?"

"It went great!" I said proudly.

"You didn't shoot at them, did you?" She said with a smirk.

"No, but I _did _make a pretty good impression I think."

"Good." She nodded approvingly. "So you think they liked you?"

"I do. I think I'll get a good score."

"Good."

"Hey, what time are the interviews?"

"You have to be ready and in your seat at eight."

Zachary came in later pale-faced, and I could tell he didn't think he did well.

We sat there, awkwardly staring at the floor until at last; it was time to announce the training scores. The man in the neon green suit I had noticed during the Tribute Parade was the announcer.

Almost all of the careers so far have gotten tens; the two that didn't both got a twelve. The lowest score so far was a five that belonged to the Maryland girl. The rest of the scores mainly ranged from sevens to nines. When Zachary's face appeared on the TV, we all held our breath. He got a six. I looked at him sympathetically. His face was even whiter, and his hands were balled into fists.

My face came onto the screen, and my heart was pounding so loud in my ears, I'm sure everyone could hear it. I braced myself for the worst, even though I thought I did well.

The number twelve came up on the screen. _Holy_ _crap_! I got a _perfect_ score! A huge smile spread across my face.

"Congratulations!" Jennifer exclaimed.

"Yeah, great job!" Zachary put in. I looked at him and saw that he was trying to be happy for me, but that he was very discouraged by his score. Jamie burst through the door along with his team.

"I was on my way over, and I just saw your score Amber! Excellent work! He exclaimed.

"Thanks!" I replied proudly.

"Oh you _really_ did do amazing!" Marcie trilled.

"Of course she did! I _told_ you she would be great!" Greg said.

I was then told that it was time to get me ready. I nodded and let Jamie and the rest of my team do whatever they liked to get me all geared up for tonight, knowing that they will make me spectacular.

…

After a few grueling hours of being worked on, I was finally ready to go. My dress was absolutely _gorgeous_! It was a beautiful yet simple gown that was a deep cerulean color. Conveniently the color of Sage's eyes. When I asked Jamie why, he said that it was merely a coincidence, but I knew better. For shoes I was in golden high heels. As for my hair, it was kept like it usually is; Straight. Jamie said that my hair in the arena will be down and not curled, because curling it and all would just be stupid, and he wanted to present me the way I will be presented in the Games. I agreed with him. I'm going to be fighting to the death, who cares about my hair?

I headed in single file with the other tributes to our chairs in the big building adjoined to the Training Center. Zachary was just in a regular tux, with black pants and shoes. Getting through all one hundred people will be annoying, but at least I'll have some time before I have to go on.

Delaware was first up; its tributes were both playing the strong and silent type. The girl looked especially ferocious, and I'm sure everyone loved her. I'm surprised the both of them weren't invited to join the careers.

I watched the tributes go on, and tried to memorize everything they said, anything hat I could use against them.

Harvey Wallace had purple hair and eyes and was in his neon green suit. His appearance kinda freaked me out. I was relieved though when I found that his personality is much like Caesar Flickerman's; I'm sure Darren did that on purpose.

Knowing Harvey's personality put some of my fears at ease, because I remember from reading The Hunger Games that Katniss had said that Caesar tried to help out the tributes. If Harvey was like Caesar, then I'd have a lot less to worry about.

I spotted Sage; he was in a cerulean colored tux. Everything else he had on was black. Oh wow… we're wearing the exact same color… did our stylists plan this, or was it a coincidence? He waved at me and I waved back. He started forming letters in sign language. Good, he's been practicing. His message was: _Congrats_ _on_ _your_ _score_. I signed back to him,

_Thanks. What was yours? _I unfortunately wasn't able to see it, and was curious.

_Ten_. I gave him a thumbs up and got back to watching the others.

When they finally called my name, I sucked in air and prayed I wouldn't embarrass myself. I shook Harvey's hand and sat down on the comfy plush chair. Harvey smiled pleasantly at me.

"So Amber," He began. "We saw when Darren and Rob got you. That was quite a fight you put up." This threw me for a loop.

"Wait, I was being _filmed_!" The audience laughed along with Harvey.

"Yes, dear. All of you were. But really. Here come these two strong guys, and you don't know what they're about to do to you. What was going through your head?"

"Well, I wanted to get the hell away from them!" Harvey nodded.

"You have a good fighting spirit in you, I like that. And obviously the others liked it as well. Congratulations on the perfect score." I smiled sweetly at him.

"Thank you."

"It was a fluke I bet!" My head snapped in the direction of the voice. The audience gasped at the outburst. The boy from Kentucky was standing and now the cameras were on him.

"I've seen her in training, she's a weakling! She'll die on the first day, I guarantee it!"

When the cameras turned back to me, I replied menacingly,

"You've just made yourself my first victim." He stared at me, but sat down. I turned back to Harvey, who had an amused expression on his face.

"So… let's move on to your personal life Amber. What about your family? Any siblings?" I shook my head.

"Nope, I'm an only child. I live with my dad." He nodded.

"And are you in a relationship with any lucky young man?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Yes! This was the chance I was waiting for!

"Yes… actually, I am."

"Ah, and what might his name be?" I looked down, blushing.

"Sage Brooks." Gasps erupted from the audience and the cameras focused on Sage. He was sitting there beaming at them, His eyes shining.

"How long have you two known each other?" Harvey asked when the cameras went back to me. His shock was easily readable on his face.

"About two years. We've been dating for about a year now." _Awws_ burst out from the crowd.

"It must be just _eating_ you two up to know that you're both in this." I nodded.

"But we're in it together." This got an even bigger reaction from the crowd. I looked at Sage and he nodded in agreement. Harvey looked at me with genuine sympathy.

"That you are dear. That you are… but let's backpedal a bit to that perfect score. What do you think made everyone love you?" I shrugged modestly.

"I just tried my hardest. Obviously I did pretty well." Harvey nodded.

"Do you consider yourself a hunter or a gatherer?"

"Both. I know lots of plant names and all that, but I can also kill if it suites me. Like I said before, I'm not afraid to kill."

"Even humans?" He inquired.

"Yes." His expression turned grim.

"So, you'll kill anything?" Jeez, I thought I'd already confirmed this… Harvey must be trying to make this as dramatic as possible.

"Anything, and any_one_." I said, nodding. He seemed a little wary of me now that I've said that with such determination. Good, better _he_ fear _me_ than the other way around.

"Now when you first got here to our glorious Capital, what did you think? What was your first reaction?"

"Well, I was kinda still thinking that this was just them messing with my head before they raped me." I replied honestly.

"After that, when I realized it was really real… well… I was a little shocked." Big understatement there.

"I'm sure everyone was quite rattled. They probably thought the same thing as you Amber." He paused briefly.

"So, let's move on to your lifestyle. What's a typical day in your household?" I shrugged.

"Nothing special. Get up, go to school, get home, do homework, maybe take my dogs for a walk, then go to bed."

"And do you see Sage much?" I shook my head sadly.

"Unfortunately, no. We live a state apart, so we hardly ever see each other. In a way, I'm _almost_ happy that we've been picked. We've gotten to spend _a_ _lot_ more time together."

"So you see each other outside of the Training Center?" I nodded.

"And do your mentors know about that?" I looked at Jennifer mischievously. She raised an eyebrow.

"They know about _some_ of it." Harvey chuckled.

"Ah, young love." The buzzer went off signaling that my interview was finally over.

"Sorry folks! We're out of time! Best of luck to you Amber!" I shook his hand once more before returning to my seat. Thank God that was over! I listened to Zachary's interview. He was very nervous, you could easily tell. I hope that it didn't make him a target to the others. He was so stiff, and was as white as a ghost. He _did_ answer the questions well though.

As more tributes talked with Harvey, I realized that most of them used Thresh's method. Cold, uninviting, and tough as nails. Violet's interview was pretty good; she came off very mysterious, and answered most of the questions vaguely. My head snapped up when they finally called Sage's name.

* * *

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I owe you people an apology. As I was reading Destiny again, I saw some errors and started mentally slapping myself. Before I post something I read each chapter over and over again to make sure my chapters are error-free, but I guess a few mistakes slipped through the cracks. I'm really sorry about that...**

**Breaking Dawn Part 2 came out and I'm SUPER excited! Sadly, I won't be able to see it for another week or so. But I heard the ending is completely different, which in my opinion is very stupid. Why would the fans of the books want a different ending? Oh well, I guess I can't fully judge it until I've seen it...**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own The Hunger Games...**

* * *

(Sage's P.O.V)

I was extremely nervous as I walked up to the giant stage, but somehow managed to give Harvey a firm handshake.

Amber's interview had been _amazing_; she had completely captivated the crowd. You could tell that everyone had loved her.

She had set the stage perfectly for all of the relationship related questions, so I knew those would be some of the first ones I'd be asked. All I have to do is answer them in a way that will make everyone feel sorry for Amber and I.

When I sat down, Harvey asked me the first of his questions.

"So Sage, how has your experience here been so far?"

"Eh, it's been alright." I replied with a shrug. Harvey nodded.

"What do you think has been the hardest thing for you to overcome so far?" I thought about that for a moment before saying,

"Knowing that there's only one winner." Harvey looked confused by my answer.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean that I know that with each passing day, Amber and I are just another day closer to being separated forever." Harvey's expression instantly turned sympathetic like I thought it would.

"That _is_ hard. I'm guessing it's still something you're struggling with?"

"How could it not be?" He nodded.

"Since you've provided the perfect transition to the topic I'm sure everyone's been wondering about, let's move on to it. I'm sure _everyone_ wants more details on you and Amber."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Where did you two meet?" I smiled warmly at Amber and she smiled back.

"At archery camp."

"And just what about her made you think, 'I want _that_ girl to me mine'."

"Everything. Everything about her instantly made me fall for her. I couldn't possibly want another girl more." '_Awws_' rang out from the crowd. Good, I had effectively melted their hearts.

"Now when you get to the arena, I assume you two will be in an alliance?"

"Of course. I'll protect her at all costs."

"_All_ costs?"

"Absolutely. I would gladly die for her to keep her safe. I want her to win so she can go back to her family and friends, and try to live the rest of her life normally."

"Are you saying you won't try to win this?" I shook my head.

"I'll try to win, but…" I trailed off.

"But if you're the final two?" Harvey prompted. I looked at Amber sadly.

"I'd tell her to kill me." The audience was a mix of gasps and '_awws_'; their faces were priceless. The cameras zoomed in on Amber's face; it portrayed fear, sadness, and shock. I saw her shake her head very slightly. When the cameras came back to me I said to her,

"Amber, you _know_ how much I care about you. You _know_ that I would die for you. Earlier this week, you made me promise you that I would try not to feel guilty if you died in the arena. But now, I want you to promise me the same thing. If I die for you, please don't feel like it's your fault. I love you, and I would give up my life in exchange for yours in a heartbeat." The audience held a collective breath as the cameras raced back to her. "Do you promise me?"

She sat there, frozen for a moment, then gave a nod. Man, did _that_ get a reaction from the audience.

I turned my attention back to Harvey, who looked at me with a mix of emotions I couldn't decipher.

"You're a very special young man Sage, she's very lucky to have you in her life." I smiled.

"You're wrong. _I'm_ the lucky one."

"Forget Peeta, we've got a new Lover Boy!" A member of the audience cried out scathingly. It was the Kentucky boy who had so rudely interrupted Amber's interview. He was standing up and staring defiantly at me. I just grinned at him.

"Amber wasn't kidding, she really will kill you. And you bet I'll help her, so you now have two people who already want your head. Good job, you should be proud. Now I suggest you shut your mouth before I shut it for you."

"Whatever, you know what? You two don't even have to worry about who's going to die for who; you'll both be dead on the first day anyways!"

"If you don't shut up now you might just end up dead before tomorrow!" Amber yelled.

"_You_ kill _me_? Ha! You two are just a couple of weaklings!"

"That's enough!" Harvey boomed. "Young man, you've had your turn to speak. You must stay quiet and let us continue with Sage's interview."

The Kentucky boy sat down and looked at the floor. I turned my attention back to Harvey.

"So," He said. "Amber told us that you two hardly see each other. When was the last time you two met each other in person?"

"In person? Oh gosh… last summer at archery camp. Almost a year ago."

"Now wait just a moment. There's a question I'm dying to ask. Do your parents even know that you two are dating?" I shook my head and grinned sheepishly.

"Nope." Harvey chuckled along with some of the crowd.

"Let's move on to your personal life Sage. Do you have any siblings? What about your parents? What are they like?"

"I have a seventeen year old brother named Tyler. He's pretty cool, but can be _totally_ annoying when he wants to be. My mom is a professional gardener, and my dad is a vet. My parents both _love_ to help others; they help someone else just about every day."

"They sound like nice people."

"They are." I replied."

"What part of Colorado do you four live in Sage?"

"We live in Colorado Springs."

"Do you like it there?" I nodded.

"Yeah, it's a cool place to live." My buzzer went off. Yes! The interview was over! I shook Harvey's hand once more.

"Unfortunately folks, we're out of time! Good luck Sage!"

"Thank you." I exited the stage and sat back in my chair to watch the rest of the interviews.

I could tell that for some of them, their mentors basically wrote up a script for them. Either that, or they were overcome with stage fright. I paid special attention to the careers. They were all cold-hearted monsters to me. Every one of them, even the girls, reminded me of Cato. Maybe they planned it that way. Some of the other tributes looked terrified of them, but I knew better than to let them see my fear and so did Amber. We just watched their interviews, our faces showing no emotion whatsoever.

Afterwards, once the interviews were finished, Kylie and Abbey let me change into my regular clothes for dinner.

"You were fantastic Sage!" Kylie exclaimed.

"I agree!" Abbey put in.

"That was amazing!" Violet added. "I seriously had tears in my eyes when you said the part about willing to die for her."

"So did I," Abbey agreed. "Where did you come up with that stuff? The crowd loved it!"

"It came directly from my heart." Her face showed her surprise.

"Really?" I nodded.

"Really." I decided to change the subject.

"So… the Games begin tomorrow…" Kylie nodded sullenly. Abbey went into the kitchen probably to prepare dinner. "What are we wearing?"

"Everyone will be wearing what Katniss wore into the games minus the mockingjay pin." I nodded and suddenly yawned.

"Why don't you two lie down before dinner? I'll wake you when it's ready." I nodded gratefully, for I was completely exhausted after today. I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.

…

"Sage, dinner's ready." Kylie was prodding my shoulder gently.

"Okay." I replied sleepily. I rubbed my eyes and joined everyone for a dinner that consisted of steak and potatoes. I began eating quickly, since I promised Amber I would come over.

"Jeez, hungry much?" Violet asked, amused.

"I'm going over to Amber's right after this." I mumbled in between large bites.

"No, you're going to be hanging out here with us discussing strategy." Kylie replied sternly.

"But I promised! Please, I won't stay long, I swear!" I looked at her, my eyes pleading. She sighed heavily.

"Fine. But don't stay longer than an hour."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, shoveling more food into my mouth.

"You're going to choke, and then I'm going to laugh at you." Violet stated. I just rolled my eyes.

After I finished eating, I rinsed off my plate and went to the elevator.

"Remember, only an hour." Kylie called. I nodded.

"I know." I pressed the number thirty four button, and waited until I was at her floor.

The second she saw me, she ran and gave me a giant hug. I chuckled.

"Miss me much?"

"Tons." She replied. "C'mon, let's go to my room. We can talk there."

"Absolutely not! Don't think I don't know what you're planning on doing in there!" Jennifer said. We both turned tomato red.

"We're not going to be doing _anything_ like that." I said, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

We went into Amber's room anyways, ignoring the protests coming from Jennifer. Amber closed the door. We sat on her bed, and she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"I can't believe the Games are tomorrow…" She said quietly.

"I know… I can't believe it either. It seems like just yesterday we were normal fifteen year olds… now, we're about to fight for our lives in front of the nation." Silence crept its way into our conversation.

"I don't want to die Sage!" Amber suddenly blurted, her body now shaking. "But… but I don't want you to die either!" I looked at her and realized she was crying, so in an effort to comfort her I put my arm around her and kissed the side of her head.

"Hey, it's okay." I said soothingly. She shook her head.

"No, it isn't!" She cried.

"It is. Really. It'll be okay. I'll protect you." She pulled away from me and cupped my face in her hands so I stared directly at her.

"Only one of us is coming out of that arena alive. Just one. If we both make it that far that is. Tomorrow we could both be dead! Tonight might be our last night alive!" I didn't know what to say to make her feel better. Everything she said was true… only one of us would come out…

"Then we just have to enjoy the time we have together." I said calmly. Calm was the last thing I felt though. Just seeing the look on her face made my heart break. I wanted to make her feel better about all of this... But she was right… this really might be our last night alive…

Everything she said snapped me back into reality. The reality was that tomorrow I would have to start slaughtering people while they try to snap my neck.

This could be the last night I see Amber alive… this might be the last time we see each other… one of us could get killed in the bloodbath without the other knowing until they show the faces of those killed in the night sky. I hugged her tightly; tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

No! I can't cry, not in front of Amber… especially when she's like this.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I tried to control them, the tears came anyways. They weren't because I feared my own life would get taken tomorrow… they were because I was afraid of Amber losing hers.

Neither of us spoke. We just sat there on her bed with our arms wrapped around each other in a comforting hug; neither of us wanting to let go. Just then Zachary burst through the door. Amber didn't move an inch but I moved my head to glare at him.

"Hey, Jennifer said-" He stopped when he saw us, and I could tell he got the meaning of my glare: Leave. Don't ask questions.

"I… sorry." He muttered before closing the door gently. I kissed Amber's forehead.

"Leave it to Zachary to ruin the moment huh?" I said. She gave an amused chuckle.

"Yeah…" She had stopped crying as had I, but her eyes were red and I'm sure mine were too.

"You know… maybe we could make them do a rule change." The idea was a little preposterous, but we both need a glimmer of hope right now.

"Maybe… but they could just change it back at anytime. Just like in the book…"

"Well maybe not." I replied optimistically.

"I wonder what the arena will be... I'm hoping it's not a desert." She said, obviously not wanting to stay on the previous topic any longer.

"I'm hoping for something like a forest." I said, thinking that a forest would have the most resources.

"Yeah, but unfortunately they aren't going to use a forested arena. Darren said that the arena will be completely different."

"Maybe that was just to scare us." I suggested.

"Hopefully, I love forests."

"Me too. Plus there'd be loads of resources there."

"Yeah, it'd be like a Hunger Games heaven."

"Unless the place is crawling with mutts." I pointed out.

"Oh crap, I forgot about mutts." She muttered.

"It's nothing we can't handle I'm sure. Otherwise why would they put them in?"

"True… Sage?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" I asked.

"For what you said, for what you're willing to do for me even though I don't deserve it, and for just being here for me." I looked her in the eye, puzzled by her answer.

"What could you not deserve?"

"You dying for me… I just… I just don't think I deserve it. I've done nothing for you and you're still willing to do more for me. It isn't fair."

"You're wrong Amber, you _do_ deserve it. And you _have_ done things for me. You've been here for me just like I've been here for you. You've kept me from giving up." And then, just like that, I kissed her.

This time was different from the other two times we've kissed. For the other two, she froze up like a deer caught in headlights. This time though, she was kissing me back just as fiercely as I was kissing her.

I heard the door open after a while. We both looked up to see Jennifer standing in the doorway.

"Umm…Sage? Sorry to, uh, break you two up. But you kinda need to leave now. Your mentor is over here… and ah… she's a little mad. Apparently you were supposed to leave ten minutes ago." She said awkwardly.

"Okay." I replied. I gave Amber one more kiss before getting up to leave.

"I'll see you in the arena." I said. She nodded. I went out, and in their kitchen was a very angry looking Kylie.

"I told you _one_ hour! We have a precious amount of time here Sage! We have very important stuff to discuss!"

"Well, wouldn't you say that me spending time with Amber before tomorrow is important too?" She sighed.

"Saving your life is more important."

"No, saving _her_ life is more important!" I exclaimed.

"I'm not in the mood to argue, okay? The things you learn tonight will save you both." I sighed, not really wanting to fight either.

"Fine." I went back to our own floor and we discussed several things. We talked about shelter, finding food and water, ways to preserve food, the safest ways to sleep, how to cover our tracks, and how to earn things from sponsors.

"Jeez, this is a lot to remember." Violet said, obviously a little overwhelmed.

"I know, but it's valuable information. None of it can be overlooked, understood?" We both nodded.

"Yeah, but what do we do about mutts? If there are any that is." I asked.

"Uh duh, you kill them!" Violet exclaimed.

"Well actually it depends. If it's faster than you, then yes. Try to kill it. If you can outrun it or climb a tree or swim to get away, then do that."

"But what if there's too many of them to fight off?"

"Run, don't try to fight." I nodded. "Alright, I think we've covered everything. You two need to get some sleep, you've gotta be well rested for tomorrow."

I went to bed, but was awake for hours thinking about tomorrow. I thought of my family, what must they think of all this? What are they doing now? Obviously they know that I've never gone to archery camp, so what did they think of my interview?

A million more thoughts swam about my mind before sleep finally found me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Don't worry everyone, I'm not dead! I'm just very, very busy. I know it's been a month and a half or so since I've put up a chapter, and I'm SO sorry for making you guys wait so long!**

**I would like to take a brief moment to thank every person who has reviewed Destiny. Words really cannot express my gratitude. Thank you all SO MUCH!**

**Disclaimer: I did not create The Hunger Games! **

* * *

(Amber's P.O.V)

I woke up around five but couldn't fall back asleep. I didn't have to get up until seven since the Games were at nine, so I stared at the ceiling, wondering what would await me in just a few short hours. Although the alliance I formed with the others provided me with some comfort, it could not ease the fear and anxiety building up inside of me.

I thought of Sage. Was he reacting the same way? I'm sure he's just as uneasy about today as I am even if he doesn't show it, because last night proved that he feels just as helpless as I do.

Thinking about Sage got me thinking about his interview. The things he said about me were so nice and heartfelt; I even heard some of the Capital citizens sitting behind me weeping. Whether their crying was because of our fate or just because of what he had said, I'll never know. But I _do_ know that it touched just about every soul in the nation.

Giving up on resting, I got in the shower, and then put on my outfit. It was what Katniss wore into the Games, minus the mockingjay pin. Just like Jennifer had said. I heard movement down the hall and wondered if it was Zachary, the only other one besides Sage who saw me in the middle of my hysterics last night.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks as I thought about it again. Zachary saw me in the middle of an emotional breakdown! I don't even know what brought on all of the tears, it just happened… I've never really broken down like that before… usually I just stuff whatever I'm feeling in a box and keep it in a dark corner. I guess my problem was too big to fit in the box this time…

I came out of my room and went into the kitchen. Zachary was sitting on the couch, fully dressed and eating a banana from a fruit bowl on the counter. I chose an apple from the bowl, and wondered if it would be my last meal.

"Hey," Zachary turned his head at the sound of my voice. "How long have you been up?" I asked.

"Awhile." He muttered.

"Me too."

"What time do we need be down there?" He asked sullenly as I sat down on the couch next to him.

"Eight forty five I think." He nodded, and I saw Jennifer come in and take a banana for herself. She was dressed as well, but she obviously didn't get much sleep last night.

"Morning guys." She said tiredly. "Are you ready for today?" Her question instantly made me angry. What kind of question was that?!

"Uh, what do you think?" I snapped. "Of course we aren't!" She looked at us sadly, not even bothering to argue with me.

"I guess I should've known better than to ask. Sorry." I just nodded at her. It was wrong to snap at her, I knew that.

"It's okay… and… thanks. For everything you've taught us." It wasn't exactly an apology, but it something. She smiled weakly.

"I just hope I did a good job…"

"You did great!" Zachary said reassuringly. "You did the best you could, given the circumstances."

"Well… I hope you're right."

"Let's talk about something different. Something not related to The Hunger Games." I said quickly, not wanting to think about it any longer.

"Is that even possible Amber?" Zachary asked. No… I guess it wasn't. I shook my head.

"I just can't believe it…"I muttered, looking away from them and out the window instead.

"What?" Jennifer asked.

"That I could be dead in the next few hours." I tried to keep my voice monotonous, but failed miserably. Jennifer changed topics after hearing the pain in my voice.

"Well, I've come up with a plan for you two that will pretty much set you guys up for the rest of the Games. I don't know if it's any good or not, but it's the best I've come up with. It's worth a shot at least. I think it would be wise if one of you go for weapons and such at the Cornucopia and the other one of you take off. The one that goes to the Cornucopia will get tools for both of you though, so you'll both be well equipped." So in other words, one of us will be safe while the other will risk their life even more than necessary to get supplies.

"I'll do it." I volunteered at once. Knowing Zachary, he'd chicken out and we'd have nothing. At least I knew I was gutsy enough to try.

I looked back at Jennifer and she eyed me with a mix of surprise and befuddlement.

"Are you sure? I could totally do it you know."Zachary said, trying to sound tough. But I saw the relief that shone in his eyes, and knew that he wanted nothing to do with the cornucopia.

"No, I'll do it." I replied reassuringly. "I'll grab you a backpack and a spear."

"What'll you take for yourself?" He asked.

"A backpack and a bow, if I can get one." He nodded.

"Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes, it'll basically the careers and me. The rest will probably run off like Katniss did; I'm sure that's what the other mentors are telling their tributes."

"You _do_ have a point there." He admitted. I nodded.

"I do. Plus I'm quicker on my feet than you." I pointed out.

"So it's settled then. Amber will go to the Cornucopia, and Zachary you'll go to the place you all are meeting at." Jennifer said.

"Wait, where _are_ we meeting?" Zachary asked, suddenly alarmed. Oh _crap_! I'd forgotten to tell him!

"Oh… uh, you know the bell of the Cornucopia? Well we all will head in the direction it points at and meet up."

"When did you guys figure this out?" He inquired, narrowing his eyes.

"Last night, when Sage came over." Zachary's face changed from suspicious to sarcastic, and I knew that he believed my lie.

"Oh really? You two actually _talked_? I thought you just ate each other's faces for an hour!"I rolled my eyes, wanting to change the topic.

…

The last few hours were horrible. Every minute my heart began to beat a little faster; I could feel myself beginning to hyperventilate. I was about to go into my chute and into the outside world from the underground Capital to fight to the death. Jamie was with Zachary, and Jennifer was here with me. She gave me a big hug that she probably meant to be reassuring, but it seemed like she was saying goodbye to me permanently. Like she knew that the chances of me winning this weren't very good, and that I would be dead in a couple of days.

"You'll do fine Amber." She said.

"Fine isn't going to cut it." I replied dryly.

"You know what I mean. You'll do great. I _know_ you'll do great.

"I sure hope so." Just then, it was announced that I had to get into my chute.

Oh God… this was it. This was _it_. Time to face the music. I took in a shaky breath and realized I was trembling. Jennifer pulled me into another hug.

"Everything will be okay."

"Do you promise?" I longed for the extra reassurance, but knew that it was a childish and stupid question. We both knew the answer. Jennifer sighed heavily.

"If you run into trouble, I'll help you as soon and as much as I possibly can. That, I _can_ promise."

Without another word, I stepped onto the platform and waited for the doors to close. This was the time I needed to think the clearest, but my head was a confused jumble of thoughts. It was hard to focus on just a single thing at a time; my brain buzzed with a million questions and worries.

Just breathe Amber. Just breathe.

I kept repeating that phrase in my head. My heart thudded fast and loud in my ears, and threatened to either burst out of my chest or come up my throat. The sliding doors closed, encasing me in the chute. I snapped my head up and looked at Jennifer one more time. She looked back at me sympathetically and smiled weakly.

And then, I was being rocketed upwards.

I was jerked in every direction as the chute zigzagged, and was slammed against the glass whenever it made another unexpected move. It slowed down drastically after what I assumed was about five minutes, so I knew I was almost at the arena. I looked up when white light filtered through, blinding me momentarily. When I finally was above ground, I surveyed my surroundings.

What was before me was what looked like a ghost town. Kind of like those old western movies. The cornucopia had ten of each kind of weapon that was available. Ten sets of knives, ten spears, ten snares, ten swords, ten maces, and yes, ten bows with a quiver of arrows for each. That made sixty weapons in all. That also meant forty of us would be weaponless at the start of the Games.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the first annual Hunger Games begin!" I heard a female announcer holler. Then the countdown began. One minute. I have just sixty seconds to get a plan together.

Okay, so I would grab a bow, and then get Zachary his spear. The backpacks were all scattered around, so I decided I would go for a green one and a black one that were next to each other. The only problem was that even though those particular backpacks were right near the bows, they were also near the Cornucopia, which was where the best supplies were. All of us would be scrambling to get there. Well, all of us who were daring enough to go for it.

I've got to go though. I've got to try. I looked for Sage, but didn't find him amongst the other ninety nine tributes.

I _did_ spot Zachary; he's got his sights set on sprinting to the right, the direction the bell of the Cornucopia points. There are several wooden buildings, but I can't see more than that.

The ground is all dirt, with no vegetation whatsoever. Well there goes any hope of living off grass or something. Of course they'd make this as difficult as they could. What kind of show would it be if they didn't?

The gong sounds, and I take off like a bullet from a gun. I look to my left and to my right to see how many other tributes decided to take the risk. Only seven tributes were keeping up with me. _Yes_! Thank God I'm fast!

I grab the bow and quiver of arrows, and then grab the green backpack, swinging everything over my shoulder. Success! But now there are almost all of the tributes here at the bell. I lunged for a spear, but so did the boy from Hawaii. I wrestled with him for it.

He was tall, but had virtually no muscle at all. I could tell that he had probably just turned thirteen, given his size. We were pretty evenly matched. Eventually though, I put him in a headlock. Without thinking, I jerked his head to the side, wincing at the sharp crack that comes from him. His body crumpled to the ground, and for a moment I simply stared at him in horror.

I snapped up my head to assess the scene before me, and immediately I wished I hadn't. Dead bodies were everywhere; their blood had turned the ground into a river of red. I watched a boy get his head chopped off by one of the careers, and a girl get a spear get plunged into her stomach. All of the blood nauseated me, making me almost lose my meager breakfast. I couldn't take it anymore.

I grabbed the spear and took off once more, racing through the buildings in the direction we were supposed to go to meet up. I stopped dead when I saw what obstacle was in front of me.

It was an expanse of huge mountains, and very rugged terrain. I had no experience with this crap! But, that was the way we were supposed to go. I ran, a little slower, but I still ran through the rocky landscape. The problem was that it was a slope, so the rocks slid down the slope as I ran, making me slip occasionally.

I checked behind me every once in a while to make sure I wasn't being followed, and nobody appeared to be following me.

I found a few boulders that I figured I could use as a hiding place. They had a crack I could slip through to hide out for a while. When I got to the boulders, I was relieved. They could provide shelter and protection. The area itself was big enough for only two people at the most, if that. I took off my bow and quiver, and the backpack. _The backpack_. Crap, I'd forgotten to get Zachary one!

"Oh well, sorry Zachary. My life is more important than yours. You're lucky I got you this spear." I muttered as I set the spear down beside my bow.

The fight with the Hawaii boy replayed in my mind. I had killed someone… I'd just taken someone's life away… That boy had _died_ because of me… I was now officially a murderer… I shook my head, trying to clear it. I needed to focus.

That's when I heard the cannons. I counted the shots. One… two… three… four… the noises rang out until I counted a whopping forty three. Forty three dead. Fifty seven still left to play in these gruesome Games.

In a way, I envy those who have died. They didn't have to suffer as much as the rest of us will. They've died quickly, most likely a blow to the head or throat. There was not time for them to get other wounds, no time for them to get thirsty, or hungry, or cold, or hot. They've had it easy, in a way.

I unloaded the backpack to see what all was in it. I got an empty canteen, some dried fruit, a cheese stick, some rope, some weird pellet-like things that sort of looked like food, a sleeping bag, gauze, and what I deemed one of the most precious items that I'm sure I only got because it was right near the bell of the Cornucopia. A machete. I had a pretty decent amount of stuff to work with, and I'm glad I have stuff that's actually useful. I'm sure if I would've grabbed one of the first backpacks on the outskirts of the Cornucopia, I would've had things that were mostly useless.

I began to think about the issues I already have on just day one of this nightmare.

I have no idea where Sage, Violet, Kit, or Zachary are, I'm sweating, which will result in me getting dehydrated quicker, I'm worn out from the fight with Hawaii boy and running for my life, I have no idea where to find water, I have a very small food supply, and I'm scared to death to go back out there because I don't know what might be lurking around the corner!

I just sat there on the hard ground with my back pressed up against the rock and tried to preserve my energy; basically just resting with my eyes closed trying to come up with a plan.

My thoughts drifted to Sage though. How was he? What did he take from the Cornucopia? Where is he now?

Another thought crossed my mind.

Did he even make it out _alive_? Is he getting hauled way by a hovercraft right now?

I didn't know, but I'd find out tonight when they display the faces of the fallen tributes.

…

As night fell, I ate the cheese stick, and then got into my sleeping bag because the temperature was dropping quickly.

Then I heard the trumpets blare, and I poked my head outside for the first time to see the faces. Up in the night sky there were the faces of: The boy and girls from states New Mexico, Ohio, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Rhode Island, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Arkansas, Idaho and Wyoming, the boys from Georgia, Alabama, and Hawaii, and the girls from Delaware, Connecticut, South Carolina, North Carolina, Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, West Virginia and Nebraska. God… so many dead… but there are still even more alive. And Sage was alive!

My head snapped to my right when I heard the distinct sound of rocks and pebbles sliding down, like what happened to me as I ran. That means only one thing: I was about to be discovered.

I backed up and grabbed the machete. It would be too hard to shoot an arrow in the dark, but I could still hack someone up if they're close enough.

"What do we do?" I heard a boy's voice.

"Shh! Do you _want_ someone to hear us?" It was a girl's voice now.

"No, but why couldn't we have just stayed in the forest?" _Forest_? Where the hell was the forest? All I'd seen was a bunch of freaking rocks!

"There were too many other people there. The place was crawling with them." That was valuable information, I'd have to relay it to the others once I find them.

"But where do we sleep?"

"We find a cave or something." She replied.

"What about that one?" The boy said. My blood turned to ice in my veins. There was only one cave-like place that I saw, and I was in it. My grip tightened on the machete.

"What? Where?"

"Right there, see?" He must be pointing at it.

"You're right! Great job Devon! Let's go!" I heard their footsteps now, scrambling to get to what they thought was a safe haven. Oh boy, were they in for a surprise.

I crouched by the entrance, and as soon as a body was visible, I tackled it to the ground. It was the boy, and he looked to be about twelve.

How the hell did he survive the bloodbath? He's puny! And the girl is stupid for teaming up with a shrimp like him. He'll be nothing but a burden to her.

"No!" I turned my head; the girl was standing in the entrance. I couldn't tell what the two of them looked like because of the darkness, but the girl had bushy hair that was in pigtails, and the boy had hair that was spiked up in the front almost like Sage's.

"Please don't kill him! _Please_!" I stood up slowly, not releasing my grip on the boy, and pressed the machete to his throat.

"Why shouldn't I?" I hissed.

"B-because… because he's little! He just turned twelve a week ago! And he's my brother!" The girl was pleading now. Hmm, so they're related… interesting… I could definitely manipulate them to get more supplies.

"Then why is he here?" I spat at her. The Gamemakers _had_ to have been on drugs when they decided to put in this little boy in the Games. The only thing he could do here is provide someone with an easy kill.

"He's the best in our state, he beat out everyone!"

"At what?"

"Snares." That made sense. They needed someone experienced with snares; it would provide more interesting kills. That's why he was chosen. And he had to be pretty dang good to beat out _everyone_ in his state, especially at his age.

"And _why_ shouldn't I kill him again? If he's some sort of snare expert, then why shouldn't I just end him? I don't want him to become a threat to me or the rest of my alliance."

"Please, he won't survive without me. He's little, like I said. We were just looking for a place to sleep, please let him go." Her eyes showed that she was beginning to realize that the end was near for her brother and possibly herself.

I would have a hard time killing them. The boy, because of his age. And the girl, because I feel sorry for her. She's just trying to protect her little brother. But they didn't need to know that. They need to think that I'd kill them both mercilessly.

"And what about you? How old are you? State your names."

"I'm Jasmine, and my brother is Devon. I'm fourteen and he just turned twelve, like I said before." I could make a deal with them. Jasmine looks like she'd do just about anything to keep Devon alive.

"Empty your backpack." I commanded. She obeyed without a word, and turned on a flashlight so i could see the contents of it. i could now also see their faces.

Jasmine's bushy hair was the color of fire, and her eyes were the color of grass. Devon shared her red hair, but his eyes were a light hazel in color.

Inside her backpack was: Some matches, a sleeping bag, rope, some beef jerky, and a small hunting knife. I instantly knew exactly what I wanted.

"Is this all you have?" She nodded.

"Then I want the beef jerky, the knife, and the matches."

"But that's a lot!"

"Well, that's my offer. Trade those items to me in exchange for your brother's life. Take it or leave it."

"Okay, fine. Take the supplies, just let him go." I nodded and released my hold on Devon. He scurried back to Jasmine and hid behind her.

I grabbed the items I got from her, and let them be on their way. Jasmine hurried to get the remaining items back in her backpack.

"Thank you." She said quickly. She shoved Devon out the entrance, and they were gone. I put the newly acquired supplies in my backpack, feeling proud of myself.

I yawned and got into my sleeping bag. I couldn't believe I was tired! I'd basically rested this whole day! Oh well, It doesn't matter. My first priority for tomorrow is to find water. Next, is finding Sage and the others. Then, it's on to food.

I stared at the cave ceiling for hours, thinking about what I just did to Jasmine and Devon. Suddenly, I didn't feel proud anymore. I felt disgusted. I'd manipulated them in order to gain supplies that I really didn't even need. I could've just let them off with a warning and let them go instead of making a big deal out of it. There was absolutely no reason for me to scare them that badly just for some extra equipment.

And that boy from Hawaii. I killed him without any hesitation. Of course, that attack on him was completely justified, but even so… it was wrong to kill him. He was trying to get supplies just like the rest of us. And even though Zachary needs that spear to be of use to the rest of us… I could've just let the boy have it. Since apparently there's a forest, I could've sharpened a stick with the knife and created a handmade spear for him. But no. I broke his neck and ended his life.

Already humanity is slipping away from me, and I haven't even been in the Games for twenty four hours. If this kind of sickening cruelty is what I'm doing now, just what kinds of torture would I be capable of inflicting later on?! I would no longer be human… I would be a monster.

* * *

**Please review!**


	12. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Okay, so I have to tell you people something important. This story is absolutely atrocious! You see, I actually started Destiny about two years ago, and it's actually almost three hundred pages long! I just never put all of it up on Fanfiction. I reread some of Destiny and realized that it's very poorly written. My writing is SO much better now! But unfortunately since a different Fanfiction of mine that I have on a different website is monopolizing my life right now, I have no free time to revise Destiny. Maybe I'll rewrite this story someday, but the likelihood of that happening isn't very good. I just thought I'd let you guys know… that is, if there are actually people out there who care about this horribly written story!


End file.
